Darkened Paths
by Paladeus
Summary: Harry watched Sirius fall through the veil, learns of Dumbledore's manipulations and decides he's had enough. At Sirius' will reading, he finds his godfather has one last master prank to play. Light goals, time training!Gray!Powerful!H/Hr/L, Nev/S J/L
1. Your Last Mistake, Dumbledore!

**Title:** Darkened Paths

**Chapter1** – Your Last Mistake, Dumbledore!

**Ship:** H/Hr/L, Nev/Susan/Hannah

**Key: **"Speech"**, **_'Thoughts'_,** "Speech laden with magic"**, §Parseltongue§

xXxXxXx

**[Full Summary and Details:]** - Set just as fifth year ends, Harry watches Sirius die by falling through the veil. After an enlightening discussion with Dumbledore, Harry's mindset hardens. He will no longer take the good guy approach. He, Hermione and Luna decide to they will fight for the light, but will use any means necessary to get their goals met, even using the dark arts after examining the power of spells used during fights. Their combined goals are to kill Voldemort, kill or imprison Dumbledore, reform the wizarding government for equal rights for all magical beings and muggles/purebloods and to prove that the crumple-horned snorkacks really do exist.

At Sirius' will reading, one week after school lets out, Harry finds Sirius has one last, god-like prank left to play on the people who outlived him.

Harry, Hermione and Luna will be light-oriented, but gray over all in their methods, light in their goals, wanting a balance in life.

This chapter is mostly a lot of dialog to get the story in motion, but is also necessary information as well, and lays the foundation. More detailed notes at bottom of chapter.

I would like to see how this story is accepted, so this story is only being posted more out of curiousity than a current plan to keep posting it (most of the plot IS planned out, though). Expect random updates if the story gets a decent following. **This is a challenge I created and can be found on my forum for Harry Potter challenges, as well. This one is number six.**

**WARNING:** Slight changes to Canon before the story starts. Particularly, Hermione's getting hurt there. Also, I will be holding to the guidelines of my own challenge on this, meaning **there WILL be lemons**. Not a whole lot, but they will be around. Warnings will come in each chapter with one. But each character WILL think about it on occasion. The H/Hr/L relationship will start very quickly. I apologize in advance for this. I normally prefer more build-up. I think my reasons (in-chapter) work, however.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or any other crossover I may intentionally or unintentionally create. By reading this story, you understand this disclaimer and understand that it holds true for this story in whole, and in part, throughout the _entirety_ of the story from this location or any other in which the story itself is placed, regardless of a disclaimer being on future chapters.

**Recommended Story of the Chapter:** "Thoughts of Pudding" by Brian64 (H/Hr/L)

**xXx STORY xXx**

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, staring into the fire after the events at the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. Lord Voldemort had broken into Harry's mind and implanted a vision of himself torturing Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, to lure him there and he fell for it. Several of his friends followed against Harry's orders not to and also got hurt, which Harry felt himself responsible for.

Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, had broken her ankle but was mended almost as soon as she got back to Hogwarts. Neville Longbottom was tortured under the Cruciatus from Bellatrix LeStrange after jumping in front of the curse when it was meant for Harry, though it was canceled in surprise almost as quickly as it hit, and got a broken wrist that Madam Pomfrey had healed up as quickly as Ginny's ankle. Ron had been attacked by a bunch of brains that had been suspended in tanks of ... _something_. No one was really quite sure what the liquid was or where the brains came from.

Hermione herself had been attacked with a dark spell after she had silenced her Death Eater, but he had been more talented than Hermione expected. He had cast silently and Luna Lovegood had just barely managed to tackle her out of the way before the spell struck her. Hermione had stunned the Death Eater and looked at the wall where his spell had hit and saw a jagged and steaming gash in the wall about two feet long and a foot wide, shocking the girl momentarily before getting back to taking out Death Eaters.

Luna herself had managed to come out of the conflict with not much more than some scratches, scrapes and bruises aside from a single small cut on her left cheek from shrapnel after a dark spell blew up a desk. The residual magic on the piece of wood kept Pomfrey from bring able to get rid of the scar, but it was only visible when you were close since it was so thin and only an inch long depression in the skin.

But Harry had it worse than any of them. Physically, the worse he had was a cut on his forearm and some Cruciatus exposure after chasing down Bellatrix LeStrange, but he also watched his godfather get hit with a curse from his own cousin and fall through the Veil of Death. Then, to top it all off, he dueled Voldemort himself and then was possessed by him!

Hermione sniffled quietly as she thought about Harry's life. The boy just never seemed to catch a break. His parents murdered at fifteen months old, forced to live with horrible, abusive relatives, enslaved and treated as bad as a Malfoy's house elf, malnourished and multiple attempts on his life by his cousin, Dudley, and the same crazed wizard who tried to kill him as a baby. Not to mention all of the dark and deadly creatures he had faced each year; trolls, acromantula, basilisks, dementors and werewolves were amongst the first three years alone. Fourth year, he had grindylows, dragons, a sphinx, blast-ended skrewts and dementors several times, ending with a gaggle of Death Eaters surrounding him and one dark lord in the middle.

Hermione realized in her third year that Harry was the most important person in her world aside from her parents, and always would be. He was the first person to truly befriend her, and all of her friends came about because of him.

It was also because of him that she was still alive. Two months after arriving, she was almost killed by a mountain troll and Harry came to rescue her. Sure, Ron had come as well, but it had not taken her long to realize that he had only come because Harry made him. Hermione knew she owed Harry a life debt because of that. If Ron had not caused her to be in the situation in the first place, she would owe him one, too, but she was honestly relieved she did not, as she truly did not believe him to have a strong moral fiber.

Hermione had made the decision in third year to always be there for Harry, and the following two years, she had made sure to abide by that decision any time she could, helping him learn spells in the Tri-Wizard Tournament before the first task and with the following tasks afterwards and in the DA, when he was teaching several students how to really defend themselves. Even after the horrid events they just went through, she knew she would continue to always be there for him.

Her musings were cut off when the portrait of the Fat Lady crashed open and a furious Harry stepped through. _'No,'_ she amended, watching how he was moving, _'stalking through the portrait hole. He's absolutely _furious!_ I can feel the magic coming off of him!'_

"Mate? Are you okay?" Ron asked as Harry fell heavily into the couch next to him. He had been thinking about trying to find a way to tell Harry that he should not blame himself for what happened to everyone, even if Ron felt it _was_ sort of Harry's fault for it. How difficult was it to know the thoughts you were having were not yours, after all? But he did not want to say anything that may upset the boy at the moment. He was a little scary.

"I'm fine." Harry answered calmly, but his voice was lower than he normally spoke with an undercurrent of anger and a warning to back off that both Ron and Hermione were able to catch. They sat for several moments in an uncomfortable silence while Harry stared at the fire, clenching and unclenching his fists. The common room had long-since emptied of everyone aside from Hermione and Ron and neither could mistake the magic coming from Harry in waves as his hands kept balling into fists, pulsing each time they squeezed tightly shut. Eventually, Ron was too uncomfortable to stay near the enraged wizard with the fire being the only sound they heard.

"Er, I'm knackered. I'm going to go ahead and go to bed. Wake me up if you need anything, alright mate?" Harry said nothing and continued to stare into the the fire, his eyes unblinking. As soon as Hermione saw Ron leave the room, she left her chair and sat next to Harry and embraced him in a firm hug and just sat that way for several long minutes. She felt his whole body remain as stiff as a board, his muscles flexing tightly as he continued to flex his hands in anger until he eventually sighed and relaxed into her hold, wrapping an arm around her and squeezing tightly and burying his face into the crook of her neck. She could feel him shudder slightly, holding back tears.

"Will you tell me about it?" Hermione asked carefully. She did not want to upset him again, but knew talking about it would help him and was pleased when she felt him nod and pull back.

"Not here," he said. "I don't want anyone to be able to listen to us or walk in." He helped Hermione up and pulled out the Marauder's Map from his pockets, still in his possession from their escape of the school earlier that night. He scanned the path and led her to the Room of Requirement. The room that became whatever it was needed to be for the user. Hermione followed silently, knowing she would get her answers soon enough.

A few minutes later after the silent trip, Harry stopped pacing back and forth as the entrance to the Room of Requirement appeared and opened the door to find Luna Lovegood sitting serenely on a C-shaped couch that would not have been big enough around to sit as many as it could with their legs all in the middle. Luna could have easily leaned forward and touched the back of the couch in front of her. When Harry and Hermione stopped just inside the room after noticing her, she turned her head and smiled gently at them both.

"Hullo Harry, Hermione. I was expecting you a few minutes ago." She gestured to the couch with a sweep of her arm. "Do sit down. I believe we have much to discuss." Quietly, and with no small amount of shock, they closed the door to the room, ignoring the door disappearing as they took places across from Luna, their knees touching each others'.

"Er, Luna. How did you know we were coming?" Harry asked. He trusted Luna, even after only a year of really getting to know her. She had commented not long after the DA was formed that she loved it because it was what having friends had to be like. That had hit very close to home for Harry, making him force himself to make time for the lonely Ravenclaw.

Sadly, aside from Ginny, who only spoke with Luna when needing help for school, Luna had not had a single friend in her time at Hogwarts or before. Her life was an odd parallel to his own aside from her home life with her father. Just like him, she had watched her mother's death happen right before her eyes as he had. Only she remembered it vividly and her mother took far longer to die according to the brief bits he had been able to glean from the girl.

"Oh, a blue-horned whimdinger told me I had to be here, so I rushed right over," she answered. Her blue-grey eyes remained in their ever-present surprised expression; round, soft and blinking slowly. "You need help, do you not?"

Harry cocked his head to the side with a ghost of a smirk on his face. He was furious, and he was drowning in grief, but he was able to get a small smile out. The quirky, blonde Ravenclaw had that affect on him. Hermione was always able to calm him down, and Luna was always able to make him smile. They were an odd duo to be surrounded by when he was perfectly happy being angry. Internally, Harry realized there was something wrong with that previous thought.

"Yes, Luna," Harry whispered with the barest hint of humor in his voice. "I am going to need help." Luna literally hopped up and plopped down next to Harry and wrapped him in a hug, looking at Hermione carefully, hinting to do the same. As random as the blonde had a tendency to be, Hermione found herself understanding and attached herself firmly to his right arm and leaned him back to make themselves more comfortable, Luna going backwards with them. It was an attempt to forestall any potential outbursts he may have and try to keep his anger leveled off.

"Okay Harry," Hermione spoke gently and soothingly, "tell us what you can and we'll try our best to help you." Hermione was really unsure about Luna hearing what Harry had to say, but he would have said something if he did not actually want her to know. Over the year, she had noticed that he would take the time out of his day to speak with her and she respected him for that, considering she never saw anyone really spend time with Luna at all.

That, and the girl had an uncanny knack for being around when she was needed throughout the year and had been able to calm Harry after spending time with that bitch Umbridge when even she, herself, had failed to calm him down. Still, whatever Harry had to say, it was his to tell, so she went along with it. It did raise the question of why he had decided not to stop Ron from going to bed, though.

Harry sighed and leaned his head back with his eyes closed. This was going to be a painful discussion, but he just could not hold it in any longer. He learned too much and was in this too deep to stay quiet. Then he began talking, recounting the conversation in the Headmaster's office with Dumbledore.

"_Sir, why were they after that ball? Why did it have mine and Voldemort's name on it?" Harry asked after falling heavily into the chair Dumbledore had indicated. He swallowed thickly as his eyes darted about the room, looking seemingly everywhere as if waiting for something to jump out of even the smallest shadows. Or anything that looked like that damned veil he just watched his godfather fall through._

"_I suppose it's time I explained that to you," Albus said with a sigh. "I had hoped to allow you live and have a healthy childhood before burdening you with such things, but all things must come in time." He got up slowly and brought his pensieve from its resting place and set it down on the desk. Harry watched as Dumbledore placed his wand tip to his temple and withdrew a silvery-blue strand of light and then put it into the stone bowl, stirring it lightly and then tap a small symbol on its side, causing a ghost-like image of his Divination teacher and Dumbledore, sitting alone in a small sitting room to rise and Trelawney began speaking in a deep and gravelly voice:_

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"

_Dumbledore quickly tapped the stone bowl again as his younger form spun quickly and ran towards the door, causing the image to fade and disappear almost instantly. He looked up and saw Harry's brow furrowed in confusion and thought before he opened his mouth to speak. _

"_I don't understand," he spoke slowly, thinking over what he had just heard and how best to phrase the question he was wanting to ask. Dumbledore, however, saw this as Harry stating that the prophecy was beyond him and that he was confused, further cementing that he was not yet ready, even if circumstance necessitated that he be told. He smiled benignly, and a bit sadly at the boy in front of him._

"_That was a prophecy, Harry, made a few months before you were born. It says that you will be the only one who is able to finally defeat Voldemort because he marked you with that scar, though it could have meant Neville Longbottom until that fateful night. Your parents fought him three times and got away, along with his." Dumbledore was about to continue until he saw Harry was shaking his head._

"_No. I mean I don't understand why you hid this from me," he said lowly, with his voice rising as he spoke. "I asked you in first year why he was after me and you refused to tell me!" By this point, Harry was unable to realize he was out of his chair and yelling loudly, but continued venting long pent-up emotions, waving his arms in harsh slashing motions with each point for emphasis. He was so furious, he was fully unaware of the multitude of loose items that were about the room beginning to float and spin around the room, moving faster and faster, or the back of Dumbledore's desk, closest to Harry, was warping and charring as it moved away from him as if the wood was twisting and moving in pain, were it able to feel such a thing. All he could tell was Dumbledore, the man that was responsible for not telling him the information that could have kept his godfather alive, was scooting away from him. _

"_You could have told me about this before now and I would have known better about this being a trap and possibly avoided it! You could have let me in on what has been going on this year instead of ignoring me constantly! If you had told me about this damned prophecy before, I would have known what the bastard was doing sending me those bloody visions!" As Harry finished his last statement, his right hand slashed from left to right and he unwittingly lost control of his magic in his fury and a large gash cut across the floor and wall nearly a foot wide at its thickest point and probably thirty feet long, almost hitting Fawkes. The only thing saving the scared bird was that he was smaller than usual after taking a killing curse to protect Dumbledore and he had not grown quite yet. Dumbledore lost a good number of books and shiny silver baubles from his book shelf as well. A pity, really. They looked quite old and valuable._

"_Harry, please calm down. I-" Dumbledore began before he was cut off as Harry lifted both hands up and threw them down with a yell._

"_I will _NOT_ calm down!" The stone floor Harry was standing on cracked and shattered in a circle, radiating out from Harry to depress three quarters of the room, with the loose chips and pieces from the broken floor rising up and floating around the furious youth as the swirling debris circling the room flew outwards and hit the walls, embedding themselves in whatever they hit. Dumbledore decided it would be in his best interest to remain quiet._

"_It's because of _you _that I fell for that bloody vision! If you hadn't been ignoring me all year long, I could have told you about the visions and you would have known what he was after! When I tried, you kept sending me away! You could have been training me from day one so I could fight him, but you've done absolutely _nothing!_ Why? Why did you keep this from me?" Harry calmed slightly as he waited for Dumbledore's answer, waiting with heaving breaths to hear his excuse. The man seemed to wilt in his seat, further lessening Harry's__ rage._

"_I had hoped to give you some semblance of a childhood while you were here. I wanted you to enjoy yourself while you could, Harry," Dumbledore said quietly, his voice filled with grief. In retrospect, it did seem like a bad idea, letting one boy's happiness rule out over the fate of the world. But as they say, hindsight is twenty-twenty, and he had no way of knowing what would happen in the future. The guilt he had felt for leaving Harry with the Dursleys had made him make some bad decisions, hoping to atone for that before training Harry up. Now it seemed like such a bad idea. _

_Harry just snorted at the man's meaningless sentiments._

"_Some childhood. I'll admit that I've been happy while I was in Hogwarts, but I never had a childhood," he said coldly. "The Dursleys made sure of that." Harry watched as Albus flinched and sigh, seeming older and smaller than he had before._

"_Yes. Arabella mentioned something to that effect." Albus knew he was in trouble when Harry's eyes narrowed._

"_You mean Arabella Figg? She's one of your people!" Harry got furious all over again, but not as out of control as he had been. Now he was more calculating and putting the pieces all together. "You mean you already knew how bad things were at the Dursleys!" Albus was almost too scared to say anything else lest he say more that he did not want to say, but knew he could not not answer that. He obviously already knew. One careless slip of the tongue and he lost a good amount of the trust he had built up with the boy._

"_Please let me explain," Dumbledore pleaded. Seeing Harry glare at him without moving, he took it as his assent to continue. "The protections I told you about during first year, when you asked if you could stay at the castle for the summer; do you remember those? The blood wards?" Harry nodded that he did._

"_Good. Those protections are available only while you live at the Dursley residence, Harry. There are wards there that protect you from Voldemort, his followers and anyone who would wish you harm. That is why I sent you there. There was nowhere safer, even Hogwarts." Dumbledore said grandly, expecting the argument to be won. Harry, however, snorted and rolled his eyes._

"_No, I get starved and locked in a tiny room when I'm there instead. I get beaten, carefully done so that nothing is lasting and am forced to work like a Malfoy house elf," Harry snorted derisively again. "That is _so_ much better than Hogwarts. At least here, I had a fighting chance against the bad guys," he finished sarcastically._

"_Let me ask you something. What good are these protections when Voldemort was able to use my own blood, the same blood that is supposed to protect me, during fourth year? That his death eaters were able to get a hold of me that year? Or from being possessed this year? From the dementors in third year? Or from Voldemort's implanted visions?" Harry bit out harshly, each question causing Dumbledore to flinch again. When finished, Harry watched the old man take a deep, shuddering breath and pause before speaking. He had to salvage this!_

"_I am sorry, Harry. The wards are set up around Number Four, Privet Drive. The protections I put in place were simply based off of your mother's sacrifice and protect you while you are there. They do not follow you around. I've made many mistakes, Harry. And I want to try making amends for them." Harry glared at the headmaster, the desk beginning to smolder again before he shook his head and sighed. He could not deal with this right now. He got up and walked towards the door, stopping just before stepping through and turning around to face Dumbledore._

"_You've made the last of your mistakes, Dumbledore," he said, finally noting the destruction he had caused. He glanced it over quickly as he turned and left the room._

Beside Harry, both girls were holding onto his arms in almost painful grips. The moment he told them both the prophecy, the circulation in both seemed to get cut off. He was more than willing to allow them to keep their death grips, however. It was oddly comforting to know that they cared, so Harry just continued to sit back quietly while allowing them to ponder on his words. He made sure to tell them as much as he could in as much detail as he could remember. If he was going to speak with them and get their help, he may as well get it done right. Letting it all out was comforting and actually made him feel better.

"Well, this _is_ a problem," Luna said after several long moments. Harry snorted in amusement and pulled his arm to him, hugging Luna's arms between them in gratitude. He needed that. Hermione decided to voice her own concerns.

"So, what you're saying is that he makes you go to the Dursleys because of a protection that doesn't really do its job? And he's known about this whole prophecy thing since day one?" She asked, sounding almost scandalized. "Why hasn't he been training you for this? You can still train and have fun at the same time!" She shook lightly as tears trailed down her cheeks. She had not missed his retelling of the prophecy. It was either kill or be killed if taken at face value.

"Yea, he just sends me there because I'm safer there than anywhere else because of the blood wards, but that's only from the people who don't live there. And you know why he said he didn't want to train me. He wanted me to 'enjoy my childhood', as if he expected me to ignore he said Miss Figg had told him everything," he said with a snort. The old man was really pissing Harry off.

"I think the first thing I'd like to ask you," Luna began, looking up at Harry from her place on his arm, "is what you would like to do. Do you have any plans or thoughts of what you would like to change or get done? There are a good many plovers surrounding you that would like to help and each can do a very good job," Luna said, blinking owlishly at him. Harry smiled slightly. It had been a very, _very_ long time since anyone had asked him what he would like to do. Regardless of the odd manner of doing so.

"I've decided that I can't follow Dumbledore blindly anymore. He has to let me in on everything that happens regarding Voldemort, the war, the Order off the Phoenix and, most importantly, my life. I need to learn who I can trust and who is loyal to Dumbledore and would report to him," he said and raised his hands, currently filled with those of the girls, up in a helpless gesture. "Aside from that, I really just need to figure out what my options are. I can't figure out what his agenda is, but so far, it hasn't been to help me." Next to him, Luna frowned thoughtfully.

"I wish that whimdinger had given me more information." Harry and Hermione both chuckled lightly before Harry remembered why he was there. The thoughts of Sirius came flooding back and his shoulders shook as tears trailed down his cheeks. He had always held a strong belief that he could not let anyone see him cry, starting with the Dursleys. But, he was in too much pain, and trusted both girls to the point where he was perfectly okay with it as long as he was not bawling like a baby.

The girls' hold on him was a pleasant contrast to the cold in the pit of his stomach, but he really just wanted to go to bed. To be alone and away from everything. Maybe they could hug him some more on the train the next day...

"I'm sorry you two, but I'm totally knackered. I'm going to beg off to bed." Both girls let go of him as he stood up and stretched.

"Good night, Harry. We'll see you tomorrow for breakfast," Luna said as she flicked a loose thread she found hanging from his robe back and forth. "Hermione and I still have to have some girl talk." Harry flinched at 'girl talk'. Ron had told him about that once.

"Sleep well, Harry. We'll see you in the morning." Hermione watched him give a half-hearted smile, obviously feeling upset again. His eyes were painful to look at when he was like this.

"Thanks for the talk, you two. I really needed to get that off of my chest." He walked towards the door and threw a good night to the both of them over his shoulder. As soon as the door clicked shut and disappeared, Hermione turned to Luna, her face showing her confusion and not a mild amount of annoyance. Hermione did not want to leave Harry alone for any longer than necessary and, while Ron was something of an adequate friend, he had absolutely no emotional depth whatsoever.

"Okay, so what are we actually talking about? We didn't really manage to talk with him about anything there. All we did was sit here while he talked and I really don't want to leave him alone right now." Hermione watched Luna sigh with a pitying look on her face.

"We listened. That was really all we _could_ do right now for him. Things are far too raw for him right now to discuss anything with any kind of real depth," Luna said. "Harry is swarming with spindly-legged cassherns, after all, and it is unbearably difficult to think while infested with them." Hermione frowned, but agreed with a sniffle as another tear trailed down her cheek. She did not know what the hell a 'spindly-legged casshern' was, but it sounded bad enough.

"I don't know how to help him," she whispered. "Why does everything bad have to happen to Harry?" She began crying, prompting Luna to scoot over and envelop Hermione into a tight hug.

The only reason she was not crying alongside Hermione was because she had learned a long time ago how to hold her tears in. It only made tormentors come back with a stronger attack the next time. She could hold out a little longer until she got to her bed and could ward the curtains for silence. It always worked in the past.

Hugging Hermione tightly, and slightly surprised that the older girl leaned into her for the added comfort, Luna said, "it's quite simple, really. We take care of him." Hermione leaned away from Luna and looked at the blonde girl with a questioning expression.

"What do you mean?" Hermione watched as the girl pulled out her wand and held it aloft.

"I, Luna Celeste Lovegood, swear on my magic that everything I say to Hermione Jane Granger for the remainder of our time within the Room of Requirement until we next leave is the truth to the best of my knowledge, so mote it be." An intense white light filled the room in a quick burst before fading away, leaving angry splotches of light in Hermione's vision.

"Wh-what did you do that for! You could become a squib!" Hermione almost yelled. Luna calmly placed her wand back in its place behind her ear and smiled sadly while looking down at the ground.

"I want you to know you can take what I say as truth," Luna said quietly. "I want to be sure you know that I am not wanting to hurt Harry. While being direct is difficult for me, you have to understand what I am saying tonight."

Hermione could not get the shocked and fearful expression off of her face as she watched the younger girl look up at her slowly. One misspoken comment or anything that her magic could construe as a lie and she would lose everything she knew! Her entire way of life was centered around being a witch! She did not know any other way to live...

"Luna ..." Hermione trailed off, trying to think of what to say. After a few seconds, Luna looked down at her knees.

"I love Harry," Luna said quietly. That simple statement crushed Hermione. It felt as though the blonde Ravenclaw had just made that mountain troll from her first year punch her in the stomach. Hermione had been looking for any hint, any sure sign that Harry may have fancied her since their third year. He had shown an interest in Cho Chang of all girls the year they had just finished, even having a failed go at the relationship, and the year before during the Tri-Wizard championship he had had his eyes on her as well, almost since the beginning of the year, from what she could tell.

Luna, Hermione would freely admit, was much prettier than she was. Even as a fourth-year student, her breasts were easily a B-cup, nearly C-cup while Hermione's own only became a B-cup within the last three months. Luna had long, flowing hair and pale, velvety skin where her own hair was bushy and common brown, though her skin was just as nice and tan, if not the exotic pale of Luna's. Hermione knew that teenaged boys fancied girls on appearance first and personality second, if not third. She just lost Harry Potter. "Y-you love ..."

Luna nodded slowly. "I do. But," she looked up at Hermione quickly and Hermione almost gasped at the earnestness Luna showed on her face and in her grey eyes. "But, I know that he loves you. And I wouldn't force myself between the two of you unless I thought you were bad for him or were going to try and hurt him." Hermione wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of that statement. Her, _Hermione Granger_, hurt Harry? It was almost funny to think she could do so.

"Luna, Harry doesn't ... He doesn't _love_ me. He fancied Cho Chang for the past two years. I could never take her pla-"

"He chose you over Cho, didn't he?" Luna asked in a teasing tone. Hermione stopped short and thought back to the day Luna was talking about. Harry was on his date with Cho and Hermione came up and said she needed him. She did not say what she needed, and she did not even make it sound urgent and had actually sounded almost casual, but he just looked straight at Cho, apologized and left with Hermione for the bushy-haired girl to introduce him to her practical defense idea.

Later that night, Cho had come to the Gryffindor common room and made him choose between her and Hermione and Harry had apparently chosen Hermione since both Cho and her long-time friend, Marietta, had been rather vicious towards him since. Also, word around the common room of a bright red hand print on his face was spread about, but kept to the Gryffindors by some weird sense of loyalty to their own. Even Lavender did not spread it around that Harry Potter had been slapped. The only thing the school learned was they broke up.

Hermione nodded slowly and whispered, "yes. He did." Luna smiled sadly. She knew that her own happiness hinged on what she could get Hermione to understand tonight and agree to. And while she wanted desperately to be with Harry, the only person in the school to not treat her as 'Loony Lovegood', but a real person, she was sincere in her promise to not interfere with him and Hermione. Her vow could offer no less.

"Think about Harry's life, Hermione," she looked into Hermione's misty brown eyes, trying desperately to get the older girl to see her point. Harry's own future depended on it, and she had to try and be as blunt and direct as possible if he, and by extension, they, were going to survive.

"Think of all of the social circumstances he has ever been in. When has he ever learned how to understand the different forms of love and friendship there are? And you know Ronald fancies you. If you think about Harry's very nature, and that he may very well know Ronald fancies you, do you think that he would follow any romantic interest in you? Or would he be the self-sacrificing man he is and ignore anything he may feel for you for his first friend's sake?" Hermione's eyes widened almost comically. Ron was not exactly subtle in his infatuation with her, though he was just as obvious that he was more interested in her body than in her if his none-so-subtle staring meant anything. Either that, or he just wanted a close pair of bits to look at.

"Perhaps going for the closest thing he sees in you in another girl; intelligence, beauty, even if you don't see it, Harry does, character and other such things is how he was trying to be close to you without losing you. I'll admit Cho is a poor imitation, but publicly, you are similar until you get to know her."

"Hermione, you saw me take that oath for true statements. That means that I'm either right, or that I believe myself to be right, at the very least. Harry _does_ love you," she said gently, placing her hand on the shoulder of the brunette ahead of her comfortingly. It was obvious she had never thought these things through herself. _'Such an intelligent girl, but she is certainly too close to the problem to help herself.'_

"Why are you telling me these things?" Hermione asked curiously. Luna said she loved Harry, and if this was all some weird thing to get him for herself, then she was certainly not going about it the right way. This was hurting her case rather than helping it for getting him all to herself if she honestly believed Harry loved her.

"As I said. I love Harry. I believe for much the same reasons as you, yourself, do. I have several reasons particularly my own, just as you have some that will be particular to only you."

"Yes, but telling me he loves me, when you obviously know how _I_ feel hurts your chances for getting him if I were to try and pursue him," Hermione said exasperatedly. She felt like she was missing something serious when Luna sighed and shook her head as if talking to a child who was not understanding something as simple as sharing half a cookie.

"Harry has been without love for much of his life, Hermione. I do not believe he knows how to honestly express himself and would not be familiar with honest love as opposed to what some girls may offer for the sake of bedding the Boy-Who-Lived unless they came right out and said it." Luna looked about the room as she spoke before turning back to Hermione. "How many girls do you honestly know that care for him for the man who he is and not his legacy?" Hermione pondered Luna's question for a moment with a heavy frown.

"Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot like him for who he is, but not romantically for sure. For those who honestly like him romantically? Myself, you obviously and perhaps Ginny is about it," she said, looking at Luna shake her head negatively.

"Ginny has told me repeatedly how wonderful it would be to be the girlfriend and wife of the Boy-Who-Lived and the money and fame that would come from such a relationship. Each of the boys she has dated this year has been for the sake of giving Harry the idea of her as a girl he can date and so that she would be ... _talented_," she said the word like a curse, "for when she finally 'caught' Harry. She does not care for him purely for who he is. Don't get me wrong, she is a good person, but interested in Harry for all of the wrong reasons." Hermione shook her head this time.

"Ginny wouldn't do something like that! We've spoken all year and-"

"Remember my oath, Hermione." Luna actually gave Hermione a whithering glare as she reminded Hermione of her word, bound by her own magic. It was frighteningly efficient on the normally aloof girl. "She _has_ stated these things. While she may care for him as Harry the man, I do not believe that to be the case. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to say as much a moment ago."

Hermione swallowed thickly and Luna decided the circumstances were dire enough to validate full disclosure. "Hermione, she has even made mention of using love potions next year like her mother if he, and I quote, 'doesn't figure out I'm interested by then'." Hermione looked absolutely scandalized. She sighed heavily and slumped into the couch. As Harry said, they would have to learn who could be trusted and who they could not trust. Hermione could not see any good coming from discussing Ginny, she would end up trying to kill the redhead in her bed, so she tried to get things back on track. There would be plenty of time to take care of the female Weasley later.

"You still haven't said why you were telling me all of this." Hermione watched Luna intently as the girl nodded and sighed.

"I love him. And I want what is best for him. To be perfectly honest with you, as I cannot be anything else, I would like to share him with you." Whatever Hermione was expecting, that was most _certainly_ _not_ it!

"Sh-sh-share him!" She asked incredulously. "Why would I ... How could ..." Hermione floundered several moments as she tried to figure out exactly what she was trying to ask before she paused and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let me start over. What?" Hermione looked helplessly at Luna who stared back at her.

"Hermione," she paused as she seemed to collect her thoughts, "I had originally considered chasing after Harry on my own. But, I knew in my heart that you would always be in his," she leaned back into the couch and Hermione noticed unshed tears in the girl's eyes for the first time.

"Luna..." Hermione reached over and grabbed her shoulder. She knew Luna was right. She could have easily gone after Harry and probably have caught him had she wanted to. So, why honestly give Hermione the chance to ruin any of her hopes if she loved him? Was not all fair in love and war? Luna seemed to ignore her and continued speaking.

"Hermione, I am a Ravenclaw. I knew that the only way Harry could love me back as fully as I loved him would be if you were with us and he had nothing to hold him back. I believe he has loved you for some time and will only be happy if you are in his life at the very least, but I also believe he could be happiest with both of us rather than either one of us. We are both very different girls, yet still very similar, and we both love him thoroughly. We both offer him many things from different worlds."

"You are already important to him in a very extreme way, Hermione. He needs you in his life simply because he cannot function without you anymore. You are simply that important to him," Luna said, stressing her argument.

"I'm not going to try and say I would be the better girl of the two of us because I know I cannot be. At least not in all ways. In some, I'm sure I could, just as I know you could in others. But I do know I would much rather share him, and be fully happy, than to not and feel like I have kept him from his true happiness, or the best I can help to offer him."

"And to be honest, if anyone deserves the uncontested love of more than one girl, Harry is the only man I know who does. And he is the only man I know that I would be willing to consider such an offer for of my own volition. You may have found me a bit odd this year after getting to know me, but you truly care for my well-being and I want to share that with Harry. I know you want to always protect him and make him happy, and I feel we could both truly make him happiest by working together instead of alone. I already like to think of you as a friend and sister, and this would only be like putting a permanent sticking charm to that because, as the last of a Most Noble and Ancient House, he is allowed multiple wives to bring the family back, which would make us sisters, in a fashion." Hermione was absolutely floored. She recognized her breathing was coming in short gasps and began the Lamaze breathing exercises she saw on television once to calm herself down.

Did she feel comfortable even considering this? Did she want this? Hermione thought about Harry for a moment, trying to decide what she should do. Yes. She did love Harry, and she would do everything in her power to make sure he was happy. Coming to that realization, she sat up a little straighter. Would she really do _any_thing? Honestly, what was she actually losing in this deal?

Luna was sitting quietly beside her, waiting for Hermione to come to her own conclusions and not pressure her into it. She had not tried to guilt her into choosing her own path, and has already sworn on her magic that she loved Harry. Could she do the same, just as confidently?

In the end, Hermione realized that it really _was_ something that Harry deserved. Not having two women, as she firmly believed looking at it that way would simply objectify the two of them as possessions and trophies, but she believed he deserved the love of a girl who just proved in a magically binding way that she loved him, along with her own. She realized she could not be the cause of denying him any form of love and happiness that was so freely offered, and obviously sincere.

She was scared that he may end up choosing Luna over her, especially with the focus boys their age seemed to have for physical bits, but in all honesty, Harry always seemed like he had a lot of love to give and was far too noble to base anything on simple lust. When he understood what was going on he ... Hermione sighed as she realized she just confirmed Luna's own statements. Harry would not choose one over the other. Harry did deserve this kind of happiness. And she knew Luna loved him, which was all she could really promise him herself. In the end, she was not losing anything, but gaining a guaranteed friend and sister. She had always wanted a sister...

"You're right, Luna. If anyone deserves this kind of opportunity, it's Harry. He is a good man and will treat us well and properly. He won't consider us objects for twisted pleasures or anything of the like and he would never leave one for the other if he agreed to stay with the both of us. But it should still be his choice," Hermione said firmly. "We're assuming he will actually want to have the both of us at all," she finished, still somewhat unsure of his feelings. Luna nodded, realizing she had been given the perfect opening for another serious matter.

"Well, while we're on the subject, I feel that we should come to an agreement of our duties should he accept both of us. And to be honest, if we tell him we are agreeable to this, and that it is only the two of us, I have little doubt he will not agree and abide by our request." Hermione looked at Luna confusedly.

"Our duties? What are you on about?" Hermione asked.

"Well, anything that would normally be done by a girlfriend or wife, should it come down to it, is to be handled by the both of us. This would also be a way to make sure we cover the widest ranges of possible issues to arise. The only thing I would request is that, if it matters to you, you are the first to actually have sex with him. I would like to be the first to pleasure him orally." Hermione squawked and jerked backwards, absolutely astonished that the girl was so blunt in her explanation and ... well, _blunt_!

"Luna! Why on earth are you talking about those things now!" Hermione asked almost desperately. While she would have liked to have talked about it, as details as important as that would certainly avoid confusion and possible frustrations later, she really did not want to do so while in the middle of already being unsure of the harem concept. Luna blinked her eyes at Hermione as if she was surprised Hermione did not already know the answer.

"Well, I'm sure it will come up eventually, and it is good to know these things and have them out of the way now. Not to mention, you _are_ closer to him, which is why I have no problems with you taking his virginity. But there are excellent power-boosting rituals that are sex-based magic if we find the need for them, and he _is_ a hormonal teenaged male. If you plan to lose your virginity before actually starting the act, you should let me know so I can find those rituals," Luna said, looking off into the distance as if trying to remember where she had put the morning's post. Hermione was holding herself as still as a stone gargoyle while Luna's words processed until she sighed and shook her head. The girl thought of the oddest things!

"Fine, fine. If you change your mind, just let me know," Hermione said absently. Luna nodded happily. She had been having some interesting dreams the last few months that she would like to play out when the time came, so she was quite happy to get her preferred choice. "But do you think he would actually be willing to have two girlfriends? Even if he hasn't had much experience with relationships, he knows two is usually frowned upon."

"He may balk at first. But I think Harry will be okay with it as long as we address it in the proper manner when we tell him," Luna said with an airy wave of her hand, dismissing Hermione's concern. "Now, the last thing I think we should talk about are Harry's summer arrangements." Hermione flinched as she realized she had forgotten about that.

"You're right. We can't allow him to go to those bloody Dursleys. They'll use this as an excuse to torment him all the more!" Hermione had a fire in her that she usually got when Harry's safety came into question. Luna, however, smiled serenely and squeezed Hermione's shoulder after grabbing it again.

"This was another reason I wanted to bring up sharing Harry." At Luna's apparently random comment, Hermione decided to give up trying to understand the girl's thought processes. But all of the information clicked in her head, none the less.

"You mean you want him to stay at your home this summer," Hermione stated more than asked, causing Luna to nod.

"Yes. I wanted us to come to an understanding before offering this to him in case you had any issues with it. My intention is not to seduce him, at least not until you've had an opportunity to show up so we can work on that together," Luna said almost off-handedly making Hermione blush furiously. "I feel that having you come over would be a very good idea, so that we may tell him our decision together. I believe he would be quite receptive, and much more likely to agree, if we do so." Luna began to bat a piece of Hermione's hair back and forth as Hermione spluttered a half-hearted denial of her hopes to seduce the sexy, green-eyed wizard.

"But also, I think we should have him somewhere with a friend when the request for him to attend Sirius' will reading is sent out. It will most likely be very soon." Hermione paled as the implications set in. Harry was already swarming in grief and being alone when that came in would be disastrous to his mental healing. Reading a deceased person's will did not tend to happen this fast in the muggle world, but Luna was a pureblood, so she was willing to follow Luna's lead.

"Alright, Luna. I'll trust in you to take care of Harry." Hermione's tone suggested a silent 'or else' within it that Luna waved off with unconcern. She had no intentions of hurting their Harry.

"When he arrives, I am going to have him speak with that hyper house elf that wishes to bond with Harry."

"You mean Dobby?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, him too. Harry will need them soon." Confused, Hermione asked how she knew. "Oh, that silly blue-horned whimdinger told me. He's a chatty little thing." Luna got up and hugged Hermione before leaving the shocked girl to make her own way to the Gryffindor tower. The shock was not so much that she used one of those made up creatures to explain her knowledge of Harry's future needs, but that she used it and did not just lose her magic.

"No," Hermione said, shaking her head several moments after Luna had left. "I am going to ignore she said anything about imaginary creatures. I've got enough to try and process in agreeing to share Harry with another girl!" With as much dignity as the mentally-exhausted girl could muster until she could come to terms with the fact that she was willingly and, dare she admit it, happily offering to share the boy she loved with her younger friend. She attributed the happiness to knowing she could trust Luna and that she knew she would not have to fight the pretty Ravenclaw.

"I've heard that people do crazy things when they're in love, but this is ridiculous."

xXxXxXx

Within the records vaults at Gringotts, an alert went out to alert the nighttime employees that one of their larger account holder's life sign monitoring systems showed that the Lord Black had died. The alert was received by one of the secretarial goblins who immediately sent a missive to call for the account manager, Throatslasher, while a second, identical one was being sent to Ragnok, King of the Goblin Nation in Europe and nearly a quarter of Asia.

The stipulations set within the late Mr Black's will were abnormal to say the least, and Ragnok himself wanted to be alerted to when this particular will was set into motion. It had been mandatory since it was created nearly a year and a half ago.

Unknown to the majority of the goblins working at Gringotts, two other missives were sent out that night. One to Albus Dumbledore by a goblin loyal to his cause and the other to the senior Malfoy, loyal to the gold obtained in thanks to _his_ cause.

xXxXxXx

Harry awoke the next morning several hours before the sun rose, still groggy and tired due to nightmares where he saw Sirius falling through the veil over and over again, occasionally blaming him or Dumbledore. It was always the worst when he simply moved in slow motion as he seemed to that night, the look of shock and surprise on his face. Not wanting to go back to sleep, where he would only be forced to watch it again, he sat and stared out of the window until he saw the sky turning pink before he decided to get started with his day.

If he was not ready when Hermione woke up, it would only worry her and, as little as he felt for much of anything, hurting her over worrying over him would just end up making him feel even worse.

As he walked to the bathroom, slightly envious of each of his roommates snoring away, he could not help but think of the one thought that he felt he was going to think for a very long time, _'This day is going to suck hairy bum.'_

By the time Harry finished his morning ablutions and had taken his shower, he was feeling more awake, somewhat pleased that his nightmares had awakened him early enough that he was finished with all of his packing by the time Neville stirred from his sleeping.

"Morning, Neville," Harry said as he closed his trunk for the final time that day. "How are you feeling, mate?" Neville seemed to look around in confusion as he blinked rapidly.

"Erm, alright." He rolled his right hand experimentally, testing the mended wrist. "I'm not feeling bad, though Ron's snoring seems to be worse." He smiled weakly before falling back on his pillow and stretched. Harry got up and began walking out the door.

"Well, don't fall asleep again. You need to get your things packed up and get down to the Great Hall for breakfast. You don't want Ron to beat you there." Harry was almost able to smirk as he watched Neville almost hop out of his bed and head for the shower. The moment of amusement left almost as soon as it came, however, and he took a deep breath before exiting the dorm room and heading into the common room, where he saw Hermione was already up and getting in some last minute reading before she was forced to return Madam Pince's library books.

_'I wonder how she always manages to beat me down here,'_ he thought idly, pausing at the foot of the stairs to look at her for a moment before mentally shrugging. It was something to look at in the future. Instead, he walked over to her. _'Maybe she's got me on some kind of an alarm or something.'_ He paused half way to her and seriously pondered that before shaking his head and dismissing the thought entirely and closing the distance to the girl on the couch. He was spending too much time around Mad-Eye Moody.

"Good morning Hermione. How'd you sleep?" Hermione looked up and smiled at Harry, happy to note that he was not swimming in guilt. He had a bad habit of holding his feelings in, though the night before was a wonderful start, even if it _did_ seem a little out of character for him.

"Well enough," she said, eying him carefully. "What about you?"

"Not bad." Had he been able to look at her while saying it, she may have been willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Harry, you said last night that talking helped, didn't you? This is the same thing." She watched him sigh heavily and slump his shoulders.

"I got about three hours of sleep, had nightmares where I watched it all over again and I really don't want to talk about it right now," he said in a defeated tone. Hermione got up and hugged him, letting go quickly.

"But you've spoken about it to me once, now. And if you need to, it will be that much easier to do again," she said, grabbing his upper arm and leading him towards the portrait hole gently. "Come on, let's get some breakfast." Harry allowed himself to be led, thankful she was not going to press the issue.

"So, how was your girl talk with Luna?" He quirked an eyebrow as he saw Hermione trip over nothing and pale. For a moment, she thought he had figured out what they had actually spoken about.

"G-good," she stuttered. "And enlightening." She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he morphed his face into a mask of confusion, trying to figure out what she was talking about before he balked slightly. Internally, she let out a sigh of relief. _'He must think it was girl issues,'_ she thought.

xXxXxXx

When Harry and Hermione entered the Great Hall, there were only a few students already up who decided that eating was more important than packing, or had already done so. Luna was one of them, sitting alone at the Ravenclaw table and eating a piece of toast. When she saw them, she waved merrily, causing them to continue past their own table and go over to her.

"Good morning you two. Would you like to eat breakfast with me?" Luna asked, blinking up at them as if she expected nothing less. Quietly, the two nodded and took their seats across from her.

"Good morning Luna. How are you doing?" Hermione asked, making sure Harry put plenty onto his plate to eat. Luna arranged two sunny-side up eggs, some bacon and sausage tips onto her place to make a rather festive happy face as she spoke.

"Very well, actually. I had a rather naughty dream and woke up in good spirits." As she finished, her words registered with Harry and his head shot up and he stared in silent shock at the blonde who was now attacking the right eye with blissful detachment and the pumpkin juice he was pouring began to overflow from the full glass.

"Harry, you should stop pouring that. I don't think Hermione will appreciate any moistness in her lap." Whether it was the double entendre or the threat of Hermione's wrath, Harry stopped pouring quickly and scourgified the table just before the liquid began to fall over the table edge.

"Sorry," he mumbled, trying his best not to look at Luna or Hermione. His face was flushed and he could not get the ideas of what she may have been dreaming out of his head now.

While Harry was busy examining the potatoes a few feet away from him, Luna looked to Hermione, was was looking at her with wide eyes and winked. Suddenly, Hermione realized it was not necessarily that she actually had those dreams, even if Hermione was not sure if she had or not, but that Harry was now thinking about something other than Sirius.

Quite ingenious, really. Very wrong, but ingenious.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. We all have naughty dreams, don't we Hermione?" Luna's smile held an element of something beyond her usual dreamy and distracted one. Hermione glanced at Harry, who she noticed looked at her in shock as well and knew her face easily matched his own. Not trusting her voice, but wanting to keep Harry's mind off of Sirius, even at the cost of her own embarrassment, she simply nodded and decided not to look at Harry until they were finished with their breakfasts.

Harry slowly looked back at his own plate and began eating, deciding it would be in his best, and safest, interest to not look anywhere else. If he looked at either of the girls, he had no doubt to what kind of images his mind would supply him with.

_'Sometimes, I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to be gay,'_ Harry thought. Almost immediately, a flash of light came from behind him and to his left. Senses still high-strung because of the night he had, his wand was drawn and pointing at the scared offender almost as soon as the light was gone and pointing at a terrified Colin Creevey.

"Er," the scared boy forced out. "Just one before the end of the year?" He turned tail and ran while Harry, and he noticed Hermione as well, put their wands away.

"That boy is going to get himself killed if he keeps this up," Hermione mumbled to herself just loud enough to be heard by him and Luna, the latter of which giggled.

_'Well, maybe it wouldn't be,'_ Harry amended his thoughts as he watched the boy run towards the Gryffindor table.

xXxXxXx

Harry and the other five who all joined him in the Ministry the night before were sitting in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express on their way home. He watched as Ginny, sitting between Ron and Neville, took a sneaky glance at their cards as they played some kind of card game that was not Exploding Snap. The two boys both seemed oblivious to her covert glances, even though she was leaning over to get the look.

Beside him on either side were Luna and Hermione, both of which were reading; Hermione a book and Luna an upside down Quibbler paper. _'I'm really going to have to get a subscription to that some time.'_ Deciding the easiest way to avoid uncomfortable conversation, Harry leaned his head back and began to doze, hoping he would not be forced into the nightmares he had that morning.

xXxXxXx

Shadow Walker was the leading tracker and assassination specialist in Gringotts. All of King Ragnok's military, to be honest. He was trained to be a specialist in all forms of combat that goblins practiced; magic, blades, poisons, hand-to-hand, mental, politics and torture. There was nothing that his training had been lacking. When humans failed to pay off their debts to Gringotts, or if someone managed to take off with something somehow, he was the one called in. Or if someone just needed some killing, of course.

He always had an uncanny ability for stealth, but when a goblin could stand right in front of you and position himself in such a way that you would not even notice him, and this was without using magic, he became a legend to be spoken of only when that kind of talent was needed. Apparently, his King felt this was one of those times.

Shadow Walker watched as the train the humans used to return from Hogwarts entered the platform and stopped. Immediately, he found the window to Mr Potter's compartment and saw him being held by two females who were looking at him concernedly.

_'Now, why would they be looking at Mr Potter like that when he's only resting?'_ He questioned in his mind when his charge seemed to jump in his seat and look about wildly. _'Ah. That's right. Reports say he was there and witnessed the death.'_

Mentally, Shadow Walker scoffed. This was why goblins were warriors first and all other things second. Warriors knew how to deal with loss. Everything was battle to them, even their banking business, just usually less bloody. Still, this proved the boy truly cared for his godfather. Undeterred, Shadow Walker watched his charge as commanded by his King as the boy got off of the train and the two girls stood talking with him for a moment and the brunette kissed him on the cheek.

The Gringotts personal files he read had the brunette in them. His charge's most trusted advisor, Hermione Granger. The only information on the blonde was her involvement the night before that their sources in the Ministry gave them. Without spies in Hogwarts, they had no way of knowing Harry had grown closer to her as a friend over the year.

Shadow Walker followed through the barrier as Mr Potter and the two girls that had yet to leave his side went into the muggle world. Just before entering that world, where he knew security cameras could potentially see him, he carefully cast a disillusionment and notice-me-not charm over himself.

"Boy! Get your arse over here! We're going!" Shadow Walker narrowed his eyes at the large man who would threaten his charge. To the warrior's trained eye, he could tell the man was a highly abusive sort, prone to violence and rage. And he seemed to already be very angry.

Turning his attention to the blonde female next to Mr Potter, he watched her tell the brunette some information. He frowned at the noise in the station. Even with the trained ears he had, he could only catch 'Ottery St. Catchpole'.

_'Ah. That is where she lives if the files are correct.'_ He knew it could also have been the Weasleys' address, but the Granger girl had been there enough times to know that. He also noticed several well-known magic users intercept the obese human and got a little closer to hear them threatening the man in how he was to treat his charge. _'If they have to tell him these things, then he shouldn't be the one taking care of Potter in the first place!'_ Children were honored in goblin society. That it would even be suspected that one was being mistreated could lead to painful questioning to confirm or deny those allegations.

As he saw the Granger girl head towards her parents, he focused his attention on the Potter boy and stayed directly above him, scaling the ceiling magically so he could listen to anything said instead of the argument he had just been listening to.

The large group of redheads caught up to Mr Potter as he tried to go to the ones making demands of his uncle, but kept him from going near them. He frowned as the older female, the mother if he remembered correctly, kept Mr Potter with them as they spoke of inconsequential things until they were done with his Uncle. Then, the group of redheads seemed to leave with the pink-haired female auror and Alastor Moody, who Shadow Walker was pleased to note had yet to _ever _see him. He looked about quickly and noticed that no one was keeping an eye on his charge anymore.

The blonde girl walked with his charge to the violet-colored man with a firm grip on Potter's arm, looking calm and serene. "What's this then, boy? We aren't taking in any more of _your_ kind into our home!" Shadow Walker barely kept himself from killing the man. He was a _magic hater_! They were who were taking care of Harry Potter!

As Harry as about to respond, not totally sure why Luna had not unlatched herself from his arm, Luna spoke up and beat him to it. "I am not going with you, Mr Dursley. I was simply coming over to tell you that Harry isn't returning to you this summer." Shadow Walker smiled toothily as simultaneous cries of surprise came from Mr Potter and his uncle.

"What! What are you on about?" Luna smiled at the man who began to get angrier.

"My family has invited him over for the summer," she said turning to Harry who was looking shocked. "You have no real reason to stay with them, after all." Her grin widened as Harry's eyes filled with understanding.

"If you have no objections, Uncle Vernon, I'll be gone the whole summer." Harry said. Shadow Walker was using subtle legilimency to determine if the man's increasing anger would make things turn bad and saw that, while he hated the boy, he got a sick sense of satisfaction out of making him do chores around his home and had plans of hiring Mr Potter out to some of his co-workers for similar work while he pocketed the money. Deciding that would just not do, he cast a quick compulsion charm to agree.

"Fine boy, but I don't want to see your freak arse for the whole summer, do you understand me?" Vernon growled out. Harry nodded happily.

"Yes, sir. You won't see me again." Harry said as Luna dragged Mr Potter out to the road and called the Knight Bus. Deciding safe was best, Shadow Walker altered the man's memories of his time here. He remembered coming here for Mr Potter, but telling his charge that he decided he wanted nothing to do with him and cast him out. He also remembered absolutely nothing of anyone in particular aside from the witches and wizards who had come up to speak with him specifically.

Then he went to Ottery St. Catchpole to keep an eye on his charge.

xXxXxXx

**[Author's Notes: Final:]** - For details, check out my profile and look at my forums. Challenge six in my Harry Potter challenges will explain the goal of this story to a degree. Next chapter is when things really pick up. Also, I'm aware the ending of this was a little weak. To be honest, I think the best way to handle the scene at the train station was best handled by Brian64 in his fic (recommended above.) I didn't want to copy that, and thought this was the best way to suit my needs.

Paladeus

xXxXxXx

**SUMMARY:**

Rating: M – Mature themes, Violence, Nudity, Sex, Torture (see section on lemons and limes for more detail.)

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Erotic comedy, Fantasy, Mythology, Parody and Romance

Summary: 

Harry watched Sirius fall through the veil, learns of Dumbledore's manipulations and decides he's had enough. At Sirius' will reading, he finds his godfather has one last master prank to play. Light goals, time training!Gray!Powerful!H/Hr/L, Nev/S J/L

Basic Info on Plot:

Harry and his girls will fight for the light, but will use any means necessary to get their goals realized. Harry wants Voldemort dead and Dumbledore to pay for what he's done to him, Hermione wants equality with the races and to bring the wizarding world into the twentieth century while Luna wants Voldemort dead and to help her friends with their missions. And to possibly prove Snorkacks exist on the side.

**Lemons:** This story will have several lemons within it. Hermione and Luna plan to make sure Harry is well aware that they love him and plan to show him; often. They will not just be thrown in for the sake of writing smut, however. They will, for the most part, have purpose.

**Limes:** Expect lots of limes... (assuming they are what I believe them to be.) My plans are to describe plenty of flirting and innuendo and sexual acts up to 'heavy petting', kissing, etc to the extent of anything found in a rated 'R' movie. Basically, anything but out-and-out sex or any penetration. The whole dark side will be balanced with love, some humor and naughty lovin'.

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**SHIPS:**

Primary: Harry/Hermione/Luna (H/Hr/L)

Secondary: Neville/Susan (Nev/Sus)

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**MONETARY CONVERSION:**

**1 Knut (Bronze) - 50 pence/cents**

**1 Sickle (Silver) - 40 knuts - 20 pounds**

**1 Galleon (Gold) - 25 sickles - 1000 knuts - 500 pounds**

My calculations are based off of the worth of precious metals at 1 Troy ounce in weight of each type (which each coin is going to weigh in at.) However, as there is not much call for bronze, I used copper prices for knuts, which was 17 cents, 17 dollars and change for silver and a 1003 dollars and change for gold. I am basing the amounts off of American or United States currency and rounding to whatever is closest so that I may do the math easier when necessary. I know that the price of gold has changed a few times and went well over a thousand dollars a few times during my time with this story, so I'll leave it there for ease. However, a thousand pounds is quite a bit, so I'm going to say that the gold is mixed to an alloy for half its true worth so it endures handling and being dropped better.

I do not see this as ignoring Canon pricing, really. If you think about a wand costing 7 galleons, and that it is supposed to stay with a witch or wizard their entire life, then you see that it is more like the purchase of a car, which my pricing more closely reflects (7 galleons by 500 pounds gives us 3500) (you can thank **Seel'vor** and his story "**Harry Potter and the Quantum Leap**" for his own rant that got me thinking about that – I also highly recommend the fic.) It really makes sense if you think about it. Why use the standard 1 galleon equals five pounds/dollars, meaning a wand (also Ollivander's profession where he makes huge headway once a year and then probably rarely after that,) would only cost thirty five to forty dollars? The ingredients probably cost more than that alone, really (how rare would a phoenix feather be? Or a dragon's heart string or Unicorn hair?)

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**POTENTIAL CROSSOVER POINTS:**

**Naruto- **

Kage Bunshin: Clones created of magic that can perform their own spells and whatever they learn, the original learns when they are dispelled.

**The Wheel of Time-**

Gateways (or Portals): These are basically rips in space that a person can walk through to appear wherever they wish, so long as the person is capable of picturing the place they wish to go in incredible detail (This can also be used to arrive to a person, but is FAR more difficult as people are constantly moving about.)

The depth of the portal is thin enough that it would be measured to a millionth of an inch and is therefore thin enough to cut anything that applies pressure to it, including flesh. This means the portal should not be opened randomly at the other end due to the fact that it could open where a person is standing and kill them. Usually, that isn't likely to happen, however, as the gateways open with a default safety mechanism where they are surrounded by a wide band of magic that pushes anything around the opening portal out of the way.

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**SPELLS:**

**Clone:**

Effect: Clones that are sentient and have the same abilities as the original witch or wizard (but the raw power is split equally among each unless specified otherwise by the caster) and can think independently of each other.

Anything one clone learns, the original will learn automatically once the clone is dispelled, either from attack or the clone dispelling itself or the original dispelling it. Whatever is learned by the clone remains in the original's mind as if the original learned it as well.

This skill does not use a wand in it's creation.

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**TECHNOLOGY/MISC INFO:**

Technology is going to be up-to-date. Therefore, I will not go back to check release dates on movies, music (artists or songs) and the like.


	2. Wash Your Back, Harry?

**Title:** Darkened Paths

**Chapter2** – Wash your back, Harry?

**Ship:** H/Hr/L, Nev/Susan

**Key: **"Speech"**, **_'Thoughts'_,** "Speech laden with magic"**, §Parseltongue§

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**[Author's Note:]** - I forgot to mention in the last chapter that this is the Harry Potter story I will work on while not working on the challenge I accepted by Reptilia28 called "Death's Pride". This will be worked on when I need a break from that one unless no one ends up enjoying it. Then I'll just have to see. If it becomes popular, then I'll work on it as often as I do "Death's Pride".

**Story Info** and a thread for this story (or any of my others) can be found on my forum so that an actual discussion can take place regarding this story and where it will lead with more than just you and me through PM's/reviews/review replies. It also gives a little history for Shadow Walker, any potential OC's I bring up (as few as possible) and my personal favorite, a discussion about my take on why Luna is the way that she is.

The first couple of chapters will be used for developing Luna's character and detailing her friendship with Harry since she has almost no Canon development (to any worth while level) and for strengthening her bonds with Harry. Any questions can be asked in the forum mentioned above.

Detailed notes of Luna's home at the bottom of the chapter and I freely admit to pilfering Luna's bedtime comment from another story, but I don't know which it was. If anyone can tell me for proper credit, I would thank you greatly. I remember loving the story, but not which, specifically, it was.

To those who dislike my use of Dan and Emma as Hermione's parents (had one person who said it ruined the story,) I simply say I use them because I LIKE them. I know it was from the movie cast, but still.

**Recommended Story of the Chapter:** "Partially Kissed Hero" by Perfect Lionheart (H/Hr/L/Sus B/Han A/Poss Harem)

**xXx STORY xXx**

Hermione sat quietly in the back seat of her parents' car, staring at the scenery as they drove home in silence after picking up some Chinese take-out. Her parents had been told about what she had been involved in with far simpler terms than the truth, but they were able to understand that she had been in some kind of life or death situation and had barely made it out. Before they had even left to pick Hermione up, Dan and Emma Granger had decided they would let Hermione come to them and not push her into speaking. Partly because they trusted that she would come to them for help if she needed it, and partly because they knew perfectly well that teenagers, even mentally mature ones such as Hermione, had a tendency to pull back and put up defensive walls if they felt pressured into talking.

After they got home, they sat at the table and made simple conversation and asked generic questions about her school year and told her about the dental practice they ran together. Throughout the whole ordeal, both parents could tell she had something else on her mind that she had deemed as more important than anything they had spoken about at the time. And anything regarding the blonde girl and the dark-haired boy she was talking to before meeting with them was quickly, but expertly, changed when they attempted to bring them up.

Once dinner was finished and the cartons the dinner came in thrown away, Hermione made her way upstairs to her room and left Dan and Emma downstairs to talk together. With a sigh, Dan wrapped his arms around Emma when she sat in his lap.

"What do you think, Em? Should we just keep waiting? It doesn't feel like it's as good of an idea as it did this morning." Dan looked up to the top of the house as if trying to see his daughter through the plaster of the ceiling.

"Maybe I should go up there and give her the chance to talk. Try to initiate it, but not force her into talking," Emma thought out loud. Dan shook his head lightly.

"Let's give her a little while to try and come to us. If it looks like she is distancing herself from us or somehow seems to be endangering herself, then we can try to help her, but it has to be her decision," Dan said. Emma sighed heavily. She knew that he was right, and that they could offer far more help to her when she was receptive and came to them, but it was still hard. It still felt _wrong_ some how.

"You're right. But she's still my baby little girl. It's my job to protect her and I feel like I'm letting her down," she said miserably, snuggling into Dan's embrace. "She's spending more and more time away from us, Dan. Staying at school on the holidays when she could be coming home to us. Even last Christmas, she wanted to go spend time with other witches and wizards instead of with her parents on holiday," she sniffled into his shoulder. While Dan felt the same sense of dread and potential of loss as his wife, he knew that they could not force her to choose between the magical world or themselves. It would just mean that they would surely lose her to them.

"Why don't we just do this, then. When she finally comes to us-"

"_If_ she comes to us, you mean," Emma interrupted him. "Children are growing away from their families all the time. It's just as possible that Hermione's doing this as well. After all, she's leaving us for ten months at a time each year and coming home less often." Emma cried onto Dan's shoulder as she reiterated her fears.

Hermione had always been so close to her growing up. Any time she was picked on or she lost the chance for a friend, Hermione had always come to her mother for comfort, sitting in her lap and reading her own books on one armrest of Emma's chair while Emma read on a book from the other, keeping her daughter wrapped up in a firm embrace during those times when she was needed. Hermione going away to a boarding school had hurt Emma greatly, but Hermione had made an effort to maintain that closeness. At least until last summer. She was becoming secretive and held things back from her mother, and that had hurt Emma when she realized it.

"Yes, if she comes to us. But do you honestly think she won't?" Dan waited a few moments until he realized Emma wasn't going to confirm or deny the question he thought was merely rhetorical. _'Oh crap!'_

"I am sure she will, love," he rushed to assure her and held her tightly to his chest. "We just have to give her time."

"A-alright," she sniffled. "I just d-don't want to lose my baby..." Emma said, her voice thick with emotion and muffled from speaking into his shoulder. Dan smiled and hugged her tightly, bouncing her just a little like he used to do when they were dating.

"Hermione wouldn't forget us, love. Why don't we do this? When she does come to us, we'll support her in whatever she needs. We'll make sure she knows that she is now, and always will be, our little girl and that we love her and want to remain in her life and, no matter what that life holds for her or us, we will be there for her and with her. What do you think?" Emma smiled brightly and leaned down to kiss her smart, wonderful, _glorious_ husband firmly on the lips.

"I think it's times like this that remind me why I married you in the first place," she said happily.

"I thought it was because I was willing to sit through those chick flicks you seem to enjoy without complaining." Laughing in the relief of being sure she was not losing her only daughter, Emma smacked him on the shoulder and kissed him again. Had Dan known that his daughter was upstairs, trying to figure out a way to tell her parents that the wizarding world was on the brink of war and that she was trying to figure out how she was going to join a harem of two for her best friend, he would not have been quite so enthusiastic to support her.

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Harry stepped off of the Knight Bus and onto a dirt path with weak legs. The ride had been worse than the one he remembered from the summer before his third year. He could not, for the life of him, figure out how Stan managed to barely rock back and forth each time the rickety contraption would start and stop. He and Luna had bounced back and forth as if they were in a large muggle dryer and he was sure his hands had landed in places that were bound to get him slapped later.

_'Maybe this is how Hermione feels on a broom or what being seasick feels like,'_ he thought despondently, wondering how he could fly his broom like a bat out of hell and be totally put out because of the weird bus.

"Come along, Harry. We don't want to sit about out here and waste the day away," Luna said, grabbing the queasy boy by the hand and dragging him down a worn path as they lugged their trunks behind them.

"Luna, how did you get your dad to allow you to keep a boy over for the summer when he's never met me?" Harry asked, finally feeling able to after being tossed around the Knight Bus. Luna smiled, even though she did not turn to face him, and kept plodding along. She and Hermione would have to see about working on Harry's sense of self-worth. Even if he was as bad as Draco Malfoy, there would be numerous people who would be willing to support him if for no other reason than his name, but it never occurred to him. Odd that.

"Don't be silly, Harry. Daddy doesn't even know you're coming yet," she said, much to Harry's shock.

"WHAT!" Harry began to look around as if waiting for an angry father to rush him any moment, hell-bent on protecting his daughter's virtue from some boy he had never met. It had not occurred to Harry that it was his virtue that was in jeopardy for staying with Luna for the summer. "Why in the world did you bring me here without his permission first?"

"Well, you couldn't very well stay with those relatives of yours, could you?" She asked as if he were crazy for even thinking it. "And of all the safe places for you to be, you would be looked for at the Burrow or Hermione's house, don't you think?"

Harry was silent as they trudged along the path, ignoring the signs he saw along the walk and the occasional random item underneath of traps that lined either side of the road for the creatures the Lovegood's had hoped to find and catch. "I suppose you're right. But what will your father say?"

"I'm sure I don't know," Luna said airily as they came around a bend in the trees and Harry saw what had to be the oddest house he had ever come across. In front of him was a very large, round castle tower that was as black as night, complete with a small flag flapping near the top in a window. Harry was not sure, but he could have sworn it had a picture of Luna in the center.

"Whoa," Harry said without having realized he had stopped and was staring. Luna was watching him with a smile on her face. It had taken her a long time to convince her father to rebuild their home into the tower it was today, and she was actually quite proud of the house after going through all that work, so it was nice to see Harry's reaction to it.

"Come along, Harry," she said once again, repressing a chuckle as Harry jumped and looked at her sheepishly.

"Yea, sorry. I just wasn't expecting ...," he trailed off, gesturing towards the house in front of them as he picked up his trunk and dragged it along with them towards the simple wooden fence that surrounded the house about fifty yards out and held the gate open for Luna to step through.

"It's really not a problem. Our home has that kind of effect on most people who see it for the first time," Luna said, more for his benefit than a need to feel like she was forgiving him. Once through the gate, however, she used her wand and cast a featherlight charm on both trunks before slinging her own over her shoulder, much to Harry's shock.

"Er, Luna? Won't you get in trouble for practicing magic outside of Hogwarts?" Harry asked, looking to the sky for owls as they walked through a rather random-looking garden of flowers and vegetables in no discernible order or pattern.

"No, silly. The Ministry tracks under age magic through locations. If a certain location is triggered, an automated system checks registered wands for those locations to determine whose wand cast the spell, you see," she said, matter-of-factly.

"Then how is it not checking for your wand right now?" Harry asked, still on the look-out as Luna pushed a knot on the wood next to her door and hearing a sharp click as she pushed the wood like a button and opened the door.

"The Ministry doesn't track homes of purebloods or densely-populated magical communities like Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. And besides that, we have some basic protective wards around the house that extend about thirty feet outside of the fence that interfere with their monitoring devices even if they _did _check this area. Daddy does not like the Ministry peeking about where they don't belong."

"Then, what if a house elf showed up at the Dursleys' house and used magic, but my wand wasn't activated or used? How would that work out?" He asked, noting the comments about her father for later and thinking about his experience during the few weeks before his second year when Dobby, a crazed house elf with severely misguided plans, had used a levitation charm and he had been blamed for it.

"I'm unsure. Nothing like that should happen, I don't believe," she replied with a curious expression on her face.

Luna set her trunk on the floor by the door, followed by Harry. "Okay!" She chirruped, clapping her hands. "Tour time!"

She walked several feet in and then shook her head. "Let's start from the bottom and work our way up so we can take our trunks with us." She walked back over and snagged his hand, pulling him towards a door on the wall. Opening it, she took him down a short flight of stairs and called out 'illuminate!'

Several torches along the walls caught fire and flared up, settling down and showing a room that was as big around as the room they just came out of. "This is our basement. Daddy keeps all of our camping and animal hunting gear over there," she said, pointing at a very large pile of what looked like junk and something from a child's imagination. "And over here," she said, pointing at several shelves of glass bottles filled with various liquids and ingredients, "is our potions supply. We always keep certain potions in stock in case of household accidents and so we have them to take on random animal hunts."

Harry looked around the crowded room. It was walled with stones and the shelves were a rough hewn wood that held a large number of vials and bottles and there seemed to be a lot of chests that were stacked haphazardly. But one wall had nothing on it and nothing was pressed up against it while the rest of the room was almost stuffed silly. He just assumed it was the oddity of the Lovegood family to do things in unnatural ways.

"The basement is left over from our last house," she told him. "My father had that blank wall converted into a panic room that he and Mother could hide in during Voldemort's last reign and he kept it since he exploits many people's nefarious plots in the Quibbler." There was more hidden in the panic room than she cared to admit to for now, but she would show it to him eventually.

"Gotcha. So this is clear so you can get to that?" He asked.

"Mhm," Luna hummed, nodding proudly. She yanked him back up the stairs, calling out 'Nox!' at the door just before closing it.

"This is our living room. We have four floors above the ground and this is the first. We've got a closet there that is expanded to hold more things, a loo there but without a bath, that quarter of the room is for the kitchen and our table and that door leads to our little library," she said, pointing things out as she went.

Harry looked about, seeing a very large room that was just as circular as it was outside and just as big around. From the front door, which he assumed meant that was the front of the house, there was a door a few feet to its left, which she said was her closet and one near the divider for the kitchen, which had a tiled floor rather than carpeted like the rest which was for their living room.

He wasn't sure how they managed to find it, but the furniture and fixtures in the room were circular as well, molding to the walls, which were covered almost entirely in wizarding pictures of Luna or Luna and her father and many exquisite hand-drawn pictures of various animals and scenes.

All of the colors in the house were bright and cheery, even the kitchen which had purple counter tops and yellow cabinets with an orange chill chest with more hand-drawn flowers and wildlife on the walls themselves.

"This looks really cheerful," Harry admitted, not sure how else to describe the colors. Luna simply beamed at him.

"Daddy let me choose the décor after the house was rebuilt seven years ago. I had wanted bright and cheery, but I'm beginning to think it may be time for a change. Perhaps later, though. Now, onto the second floor!" Luna motioned Harry to follow through the main room towards the stairs after picking up their trunks.

Harry followed silently up the stairs as Luna hummed a happy theme to herself, passing the second floor which had an open door, showing a very messy bedroom with clothes strewn about everywhere and a single picture of a woman who looked eerily similar to Luna resting on the nightstand beside the large bed. "This is Daddy's room; it's actually the whole second floor. His things are everywhere, but he knows exactly where everything is," she said, causing Harry to nod silently. "It has a full bathroom, his bedroom and a closet. He would rather that I not go in there, though."

As they advanced through the hallway around the outside edge of the house, they passed several other hand-drawn pictures before coming to the third floor which looked like one very large office with three desks, filing cabinets all along the walls and stacks of papers that were to the ceiling and covering most of the floor like a perilous maze. "This is the third floor, which holds the office where Daddy works when he's at home. There is a desk for Daddy and myself, along with the one we used to use for Mother. He spends most of his time at the office he set up elsewhere," she said, leaning into him to whisper conspiratorially, "but I'm not really allowed to say where until he gives permission. We can't say it out loud as we never know who is listening." Harry could not help but smile as he saw how serious she was.

"Don't worry, Luna. I won't ask you to divulge your secrets." He said. Internally, Luna contemplated that as they made it to the fourth floor, where the stairs ended and Harry wound up in a very large, circular room again, about as large as the room downstairs, but still larger around than the tower appeared from the outside. The drawn pictures were everywhere and the room itself was very ... _Luna_. The large bed was shaped like a half-moon, all the furnishings had rounded backs that were against the walls and she had two doors right next to each other to the left of the entrance to her room.

"And this," she said, setting her trunk next to a desk underneath the window where the flag Harry saw earlier was staked, "is my room. That door on the left there is the closet and the one on the right is a full bathroom. Make sure you leave the seat down and you may come and go as you please," Luna said absently as she opened her trunk and began to pull out the books on top and set them on her desk while Harry looked about in confusion and a little nervousness.

"Er, Luna?"

"Yes, Harry?" She asked, looking at him with an innocent expression of polite confusion over her face. Harry shuffled his feet slightly as his eyes darted away from her and around her room. At the room with the single bed, even if it _was_ large enough for four people.

"Erm, where exactly am I supposed to be staying?" He asked. Luna cocked her head to the side as if trying to make sense of Harry's question for a moment before responding.

"Well, I'd imagine you will be staying here."

"No," he said, running his hand through his hair desperately. "I mean, where will I be staying at your house. Like, what room will I be sleeping in?"

"Ah," Luna said as she realized he had not understood her. "As I said, you'll be staying here in my room." She watched in wide-eyed merriment as the color seemed to drain from his face and his eyes began darting from Luna to her bed and then circling the room before starting all over again.

"You don't need to worry, Harry," she said as she realized his thought processes. "Daddy and I go on long trips quite often, so we have spare beds and other such necessities for you that we normally take on our trips to other countries." She smiled mentally as he sighed in relief. Hermione had told Luna about her fears of Harry's nightmares, the ones he sometimes had about Voldemort as well as the kind he was likely to have after the horrible events recently, and wanted Luna to make sure Harry was close enough that Luna would be able to help him if needed. This certainly fit that requirement. And they really did not have any additional rooms, and Luna was very sure that Harry would find it even more uncomfortable to sleep in the same room as her father.

"Ah," Harry said nervously, pulling at the neck of his shirt. _'When did it get so warm in here?'_ He looked about, unsure of what to do with himself while he did not have anywhere to put his things, and took in Luna's room. He was still unsure about sharing a room with a girl, but he would share a room with Malfoy if it meant he did not have to stay with the Dursleys.

"If you would like," Luna said as she opened a hope chest at the head of her bed, or what Harry assumed was the head of her bed, and almost reverently placed a picture that was identical to the one Harry saw in the lower bedroom into it, "you may explore the house. Once we're settled in, we will see about making something to eat and, since you'll be living here for a little while, you may as well be comfortable, yes?" She looked at him with a quirked eyebrow, causing Harry to suspect he was going to find himself quite out of his league there.

"Alright. Is there anywhere I shouldn't go?" He asked, thinking he wanted to go down and look at the pictures he saw plastered all over the house.

"None that I can think of, but Daddy may not be comfortable with another man in his bedroom, so you may want to not be there when he goes to bed. It might make him a tad nervous," she said airily. "He has been unable to find his undergarments as of late and may feel you are the underwear bandit he's been thus far unable to catch." Harry's eyebrow twitched. She made it sound as if he was going to hide in there until the man came home to find Harry laying in his bed!

Mumbling assurances that her father had nothing to worry about, Harry left the room to roam the house while Luna looked to the window closest to her and stared at a spot a few inches above the sill.

"Oh. No, that most certainly won't do. We can't allow that." Frowning, Luna began to put her things up a little more quickly and began thinking of ways to advance their plans. Things were about to get much worse for Harry.

xXxXxXx

A nondescript owl flew out of the low cloud cover and raced to the mansion directly below it, passing the wards harmlessly and flying through the window for delivery owls in the Head's Study. Immediately, a battered and bruised house elf popped into the room wearing a frayed and dirty pillow case.

"Master is not being home. Tiggy is being taking Master's mail and putting on his desk for later," the house elf said carefully, not wanting to disturb her abused vocal chords. Young Master Draco had been extremely displeased after he arrived home and found his father was still locked up in Azkaban, and Tiggy was the elf who was assigned to him that morning. Young Master was now practicing his Cruciatus vigilantly. Even now, Tiggy could hear the screams of her sister as he practiced.

The owl bobbed its head after a few seconds of staring at the broken house elf and held out its leg long enough to be divested of the letter before flying off as quickly as it could. While Gringotts owls were safe from harm, as it was extremely dangerous to get on the bad side of Gringotts for killing one of their messengers, there was enough ambient dark magic in the air to ruffle its feathers.

Tiggy double-checked to make sure the letter was to go to Lucius Malfoy rather than any others in the house and then placed it in a secure place as she had been ordered long ago for any mail Lucius could not take immediately. You never knew when something delicate may fall into the wrong hands, otherwise.

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Albus Dumbledore walked into his office after the wonderful dinner the house elves had prepared for the remaining staff at Hogwarts and found a new letter laying atop his desk with the Gringotts seal in the center. Raising an eyebrow, he waved at Fawkes as the phoenix trilled at his arrival and then sat in his chair, breaking the seal to begin reading.

_Mr Dumbledore,_

_This is to inform you that our Life Signs Monitoring Department that monitors our higher-level customers has just received news that Sirius Orion Black has died. As per your instructions regarding particular target monitors, I am informing you that the Last Will and Testament is being exercised earlier than is common. I am not permitted to know why this is so, but it is being handled by King Ragnok himself and is to remain quiet, per King Ragnok's instructions. _

_Most of us are aware that it will be read sooner than usual, but I know of none who are speaking if they are aware of the exact time. _

_I took the liberty of checking and all other monitors are currently functioning. _

_Goldsnatcher_

Dumbledore set down the letter from his informant within Gringotts and frowned. This was deeply troubling. Goldsnatcher was one of the upper levels of management within Gringotts. While the things Dumbledore asked the greedy goblin to keep tabs on was not exactly illegal or treasonous, it would be frowned upon if he were caught. But being so entrenched into his level of power within the bank's walls, he would not be seen as out of place requesting those forms of information. If he was not permitted to know of the details to Sirius' will, then that could only mean the man had found some way of changing it since Dumbledore last looked to make sure there was nothing harmful to his plans in it. This also meant that there would now be nothing Dumbledore could do to block or alter the will as he had been forced to do with the Potter will.

Fawkes trilled as he sensed Dumbledore's anxiety, causing the old man to smile. "No, no, Fawkes. I'm fine. But I worry that Sirius may have done something that could endanger young Harry," he said, shaking his head. "No matter the cost, Harry must be kept safe and alive, and I now have no way of knowing what Sirius has done until I find out with everyone else."

Pondering on its meaning, Dumbledore reread the section stating that Ragnok, leader of the European Goblin Nation, had taken particular interest in the will. That confused the old man greatly. There was absolutely nothing that related to the goblins aside from putting gold in the proper vaults, divvying up items and plenty of paperwork that always followed these pureblooded readings.

_'It can't be emancipation, which would certainly be a worse-case scenario. There is a whole department set up for that and succession rights for the Black line will make that go to Draco as the nearest-living male Black by blood, so it cannot be that, either. Nor can it be the goblins attempting to take any items or gold as his previous will was ironclad enough to keep anything like that from happening,'_ he thought anxiously. There was absolutely nothing that a goblin of Ragnok's status could gain from this unless it was something Sirius had done without Dumbledore becoming aware, and that scared the man witless. Anything that could catch Ragnok's eye was either going to be horribly bad, or helpful. And the only thing Dumbledore could even think to possibly fill such a 'good' category would be an alliance between goblin and wizard in the fight against Voldemort, and Sirius did not have that kind of ability. That only left bad.

"Sirius," Dumbledore muttered as he turned to stare into the dancing flames, "what are you up to?" No matter what, Harry could not be allowed to go to this reading. Dumbledore would have to go in his place as proxy and make sure to stop anything that would hurt his plans. Voldemort had to be stopped and he could not let the actions of a now-dead man bring everything to ruin. Harry was the Light side's biggest advantage in this war and needed to be shown in the right direction.

xXxXxXx

Xenophilius sighed gratefully as he finished the last paragraph of the latest issue of the Quibbler that would be magically printing all night long for his faithful readers who wanted the truth from someone that was not the misleading or completely false propaganda of the Daily Prophet. He had spent the last two days without any sleep so that he could get back to the country with just enough time to write the newspaper and get it done in time to meet his daughter after returning home from Hogwarts and it had taken its toll by making him nearly unable to think properly or see straight.

Ever since the horrible circumstances that resulted in the disaster of his wife's death, Luna had retreated mentally and emotionally from everyone, himself being the only exception. She had once spent a lot of time with the youngest Weasley girl since she was really the only girl Luna's age nearby and she had not escaped the distaste of playing with boys, but refused to be around anyone for a long time after witnessing her mother's end, and then only spent a little time with anyone when her thirst for companionship drew her out and she found herself in Ginny Weasley's company again, far less often than they had played together before. It was not long before Xenophilius found himself being the only interaction she would have, and he could tell it upset her. Not only was it depressing to watch, but as her father, it pained him to see her so lonely.

When her current personality began to manifest itself, most people who met her shied away soon after she spoke with them and he had yet to see anyone look past the odd exterior shell she had developed, very much like her mother's, to really get to know her.

It was for his devotion to his daughter that forced him into working day and night for two and a half days to get the Quibbler finished that night. He would be able to spend time with her instead of at the office to get it finished and he would have a whole week of time to do anything he so desired since he would be that far ahead. Well, anything except for trying to take a bath in pudding. Luna had forbidden him from that; quite vehemently, in fact.

He waited long enough to watch a few editions of the Quibbler magically print without any problems before gathering his rucksack and yawned widely, teetering from side to side before he shook his head and got his balance back. Xenophilius walked to the fireplace and grabbed some floo powder, tossing it in to the fire as he called out his destination, "Quibbler Tower!"

As the warm transport surrounded him, he thought briefly about the intelligence of floo'ing while barely able to walk before deciding that if he were going to fall, he would fall, come hell or mischievous Frothherder. He always suspected them of being the ones to hide his underwear in the mornings, anyway.

Xenophilius burst through the floo grate with a lurch and hunched over slightly as he used most of his remaining energy to stay upright, causing the room to stay out of focus and the lingering smell of fresh food in the air making him long for sleep, never minding getting it into his stomach. As a force of habit, he reached up and ran his hand through his thinning hair to remove any ash as he heard Luna's happy voice calling from a few feet away on the couch.

"Welcome home, Daddy!" Luna said, smiling as she got up and hugged him before going back to her seat on the couch where she plopped down next to a scared-looking creature, far larger than a Frothherder, so he doubted it was the creature taking his elastic underwear, but he immediately noted to himself to keep an eye out.

_'I am pretty sure I only had one child, who just gave me a hug, and I think I would remember if I had a second child, so it cannot be that. I wonder what it is,'_ he thought in slight confusion. "Same to you, honey ...," he said slowly, part in exhaustion and part in an attempt to give himself time to figure out where the second creature or child came from. His eyesight was beginning to get a little fuzzier and his thought processes had nearly ground to a halt as his body ached for his bed.

"You don't mind if I have my friend stay over for the summer, do you, Daddy?" Luna asked sweetly and innocently. "I brought him home on the Knight Bus and would like for him to stay."

Xenophilius looked at the terrified lad sitting next to his daughter on the couch, noting his daughter used the term 'friend', which immediately made this a rather special case as she has had relatively few of those in the past. The creature had a rather unruly fop of hair on his head, and looked to be mostly bald aside from that, so it was probably a stray. "And you say he followed you home?" He asked. Luna opened her mouth to respond before closing it with a perplexed expression on her face.

"Well, I _did_ lead him here, and I suppose he had to follow me to get here, so yes, I suppose he did," she said blinking rapidly. Xenophilius nodded with a yawn, the two days without sleep about ready to make him drop where he stood.

"Well, I suppose he's housebroken then?" He asked, eying Luna as sternly as a wobbly man could and beginning to mistake the situation for something entirely different as the dots stopped connecting in his mind to form the proper picture.

"Of course I'm housebroken!" Harry said indignantly, finally catching up with the conversation before he blinked and looked between Xenophilius and Luna in confusion. "Wait, what?" Xenophilius beamed at his daughter.

"Wonderful! You've even taught him to speak! If you promise to make sure he's fed, watered, bathe him regularly and clean up after him if he makes a mess on the floor, then you can keep him," he said, yawning again. "Have you already named him?"

"Oh yes!" Luna said happily as she nodded enthusiastically. "He answers to 'Harry' and he already knows where the cooling chest is and is very clean, just look at how shiny his coat is!" She said, running her fingers through Harry's hair. As Luna spoke with her father, Harry leaned back and tried to figure out why the odd man with the weird haircut thought he would not be housebroken and what made the man think he was talking with his daughter about bringing in a pet rather than a teenaged boy.

"Huh," Xenophilius grunted. "Odd that. He doesn't have much hair on him, and I've always thought you had your heart set on 'Momo'. But I suppose as long as you're happy." He shrugged and waved the two of them goodnight as he turned to the stairs, another yawn on his lips. "Make sure you set up a comfortable bed for him and let him out if he scratches at the door," her father called from up the stairs.

"I've already taken care of his bedding in my room for the night, Father," Luna said, shaking her head as if disappointed that he thought she would not think of such simple things. She cocked her head to the side and looked at Harry, who was staring up the stairs in shock. However, even if she could not call him 'Momo', as she had always wanted for her first pet, she may be able to talk him into the collar if she asked _really _nice. He was just simply a good guy like that.

"Is he always like that?" Harry asked, unknowingly breaking Luna from her nefarious plots of tackling him during breakfast and fastening a transfigured collar onto him.

"No. Daddy seems to either be very tired or fighting off an infestation of Saliwegges," she replied, wondering how they got past the wards she had created two years ago to protect the Quibbler's offices from them. They lived to spread illness, after all, and she could not have them making her father sick. He was all she had left aside from her new friendships with Harry and Hermione.

"Oh," Harry said, a little unsure of what a Saliwegge would be, but willing to trust the quirky girl about the creatures he had never heard of before. There was a lot he did not know about the wizarding world, and he had been learning that more and more of the information that was known was either something that everyone knew about, or something that no one did. She was a Ravenclaw, a house prized for its intelligent members. Who was he to try and correct her?

Luna shrugged after deciding to see how her father held up after he had a good night's rest before making any decisions about treatments to put him on. The last time she thought he was sick and forced him into a medical treatment, he wound up bald for two weeks, which he never fully recovered from seeing as how his hair did not grow on the top anymore, but only on the sides and back of his head.

"It is nearly bed time, Harry, so let's get finished with our essays so we can get started with our sleepover!" Luna chirruped happily. She could vaguely remember doing this with Ginny on occasion, but it seemed like such a very long time ago. Though, to be honest, she did not think Harry would want to talk about what type of boy he would hope to marry in the future.

xXxXxXx

Shadow Walker was impressed with the blonde girl that kept company with his charge throughout the day. Several times, he witnessed Mr Potter's mood begin to darken and cause the boy to withdraw into himself, but it was only occurring while the girl was away from him. While she was with him, she kept him engaged in conversation that was random enough to keep him off guard, working on their school work while making sure he thought through his answers, or having taken a little time earlier in the day to make a meal, where he could tell the girl played dumb of her own culinary talents as she asked him to help her with smaller tasks, keeping his mind on her and the food, rather than his recently-deceased godfather.

It was almost interesting to watch for the seasoned warrior.

However, as surprised as Shadow Walker was of Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter himself was an enigma of shocking proportions. The stealthy goblin had entered the house when the Lovegood girl talked his charge into the tour of the house so he would be as aware of the location as they were, but he found that Mr Potter would look around curiously if he got within a few feet of the human. Even goblins who were trained practically since they were able to walk did not have that kind of danger sense, and it bothered Shadow Walker to think about how the boy would have developed the ability. It was only something that came from actually _being_ in danger to know when threatened. The boy had absolutely no combat training. That much was blatantly obvious to any goblin who watched Mr Potter walk.

It was common for Shadow Walker to see people look about when he got close or began to actively use magic since many beings could sense another's presence or magic on occasion. However, the reason it was so surprising, and causing Shadow Walker to become intrigued by the human and thus testing him in similar methods, was because he always seemed to get curious and look in Shadow Walker's general direction before turning to look the other way as if in search of whatever disturbance he felt.

While the boy was not always close to looking directly at him, and never seemed to notice him even while his eyes flickered over the goblin, Shadow Walker was still disconcerted by the knowledge that there was something with this human that seemed to cause him to notice whenever Shadow Walker was close within three paces. Irregardless of the fact that Shadow Walker was always close enough to kill him well before the boy could do anything, it still upset him greatly to know that he was being felt or sensed in some way.

As Shadow Walker watched from his perch on a shelf, the two teenagers put up their things and began to trek up the stairs. The veteran warrior made a mental note that the girl had finished her own essay nearly a half hour earlier as he was reflecting on his earlier observations and had only been checking her essay until Mr Potter scratched his last quill stroke. He would have written it off as some form of infatuation if she had not been keeping their interactions friendly and relatively restrained compared to many witches he had observed in the past with opportunities as she has had in the past several hours. Especially when she had the chance to slip potions and the like into the food, but she had kept it clean of any contaminates. He did not even have to keep her from it.

Fluidly and silently, he leapt up each flight of stairs as the two made their way up, making sure he did not get too close to the boy so as not to risk putting him on his guard when he needed his sleep. King Ragnok held some vested interest in the human, and Shadow Walker would not upset his King.

Once Shadow Walker made it into the bedroom, he took residence on the shelf along the furthest wall from the stairs, near the top of Luna's walls where he could see out each of the windows until the two fell asleep so he could patrol the outside. As he settled back on his haunches, he watched the girl enter the bathing room to change while Mr Potter practically flew into his new T-shirt and shorts and dove under the blankets of his camping bed that they had brought up earlier after the tour and then Mr Potter took a moment to look about the room while being unobserved by her.

Moments later, Luna entered the bedroom in a set of pajamas that made Harry's jaw drop and Shadow Walker's hand twitch towards the dagger strapped to his calf before he caught himself. She had on a tight, thin, long-sleeved sweatshirt that was a light gray and had the hood up revealing cat-like ears. Her pants were of the same, soft material and had a tail hanging from her backside, equally tight and showing off her rather shocking figure. Hogwarts robes, Harry decided almost immediately, were things created by the Devil.

Shadow Walker grinned ferally as he saw Mr Potter's eyes widen and reflect the light for a brief moment before quickly looking away. He would have to reevaluate the girl's objectives. She was obviously putting on some form of show without trying to make herself obvious. Shadow Walker was enough of a hunter to realize she was simply making herself bait. And if Mr Potter's quick glimpses to her posterior were any indication, she was doing a very fine job of it. It did not matter what species you were a member of. No male could resist the allure of a woman who desired him.

As the blonde girl got into her bed and under the covers, Shadow Walker silently cast some monitoring charms in the room and stealthily leapt to the top of the stairs to exit the house before he heard their parting comments to each other.

"Good night, Harry. Sleep tight and don't let the nargles infest your soul."

"What!"

xXxXxXx

Hermione laid in bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin as she watched a flickering shadow on her ceiling. She had taken the whole evening after getting to her bedroom trying to figure out both how and why she had agreed with Luna to share Harry. Or to be more precise, why she found herself not as against it as she would have thought she would have been. Yes, she had always wanted a sister, but honestly! This was just weird, no matter if it was the wizarding world, where things were expected to be odd, or not.

For nearly five hours, she had sat at her desk and made notes and charts for herself to try and help her decide if she was truly and honestly happy with the arrangements she made with Luna the night before. Sadly, everything she had come up with left her more confused than before.

On one hand, she would get to be with Harry and would always be there to protect him, even if it meant protecting him from himself. Luna, by her own admission of loving Harry, would also be there to help protect him, just as she was doing right now. And by sharing Harry as they agreed to, she would not be forced to stand on the sidelines as Luna pursued him on her own, without asking Hermione to join her.

That was actually one of the biggest things that confused the intelligent brunette. Luna could have easily shown her interest in Harry and would probably have won him over, but she not only told Hermione that she would not do so because Harry loved her, Hermione, but because she respected Harry and Hermione both. Luna was certainly a girl that would have no trouble falling into the 'pretty' category. Probably even beautiful, if Hermione was going to be honest with herself. While the blonde girl was a bit odd, she had many of the things that teenaged boys sought: a wonderful figure, nice breasts, pretty smile, intelligence to help with homework and pretty, gray-blue eyes that Hermione was perfectly willing to admit had an allure all on their own. The wide-eyed, doe-eyed, innocent expression really worked for the quirky Ravenclaw.

Hermione was proud to admit that she, at least, had the better bum of the two, and quite possibly nicer legs. It was a little difficult to confirm that with their use of robes, however. But she was enough of a girl to notice things like that when the robe billowed, like several of the boys seemed to do during the DA meetings when various girls would have temporary wardrobe malfunctions.

But Luna was willing to share Harry. She did not want to break up Harry and Hermione's friendship, or more were it to develop, and actually wanted them to remain together, leaving herself potentially open to rejection if Harry were to decide he wanted Hermione instead, without the possibility of sharing them.

A part of Hermione was thrilled with the knowledge that Luna had said that she honestly believed Harry was in love with her, as she knew Luna believed it because she was under magical oath of honesty at the time. And looking back at it with as close to an unbiased position as possible, Hermione saw several times where it supported that theory, but her fears at the time would not let her see them as anything more than friendly.

Then there was the knowledge that she actually had to share him with another girl, possibly ending up as a secondary girl in the relationship if Harry began to favor Luna or becoming nothing more than an object of his desires when not with Luna. Admittedly, she did not believe he would do such things consciously, but it could just as easily happen. The middle and late teenaged years were well-known to be the point in life where hormones were strongest in comparison to the ability to fight them and keep a clear mind.

But then, Luna was going through the same possible problems that Hermione was worried about, if Harry were to choose her over Luna. And that was the problem Hermione kept coming across. Ultimately, any fears she had about her place in a relationship with another girl being involved with Harry was just as risky to her as it was for the other girl, and Luna herself was the one who suggested all of this. She was the one who was making it all possible, even when it could mean getting hurt.

It had not taken her long to try and think of how Harry would take the whole thing. One very pretty, and very physically desirable girl would be offering herself to him, and then Hermione, the plain-Jane and nagging, just-one-of-the-guys friend would be doing the same. As highly as she thought of Harry's character and of him as a person in general, would the general hormones and thoughts of a teenaged male affect all of this in some way?

In the end, Hermione came up with dozens of questions and answered them all with the realization that all answers would end in one of three ways. Either Luna was risking just as much as Hermione was, it would depend on Harry himself, or it was a question that was created on baseless fears and insecurities that still fell into one of the other categories. She knew she could trust Luna not to be manipulating Hermione or Harry, and to try and keep Harry for herself or put Hermione into a bad light as she had stated, under the honesty oath, that she wanted all three of them together or would stand down if Harry simply chose Hermione. How could you fight against someone who had that kind of commitment to a relationship that has not even started yet and still feel good about yourself? The blonde Ravenclaw was risking everything by involving Hermione into her plans, all because she thought Harry would want his best female friend in all of this and felt she could still get what she wanted in a relationship with Harry if she just asked Hermione to share him, when Hermione could have just as easily gone for Harry herself, if what Luna believed was true, and the girl would have been absolutely heartbroken, just because she tried to do what she thought was the right thing.

Then there was everything Luna had thought of to help Harry for the summer that Hermione had not even considered, trusting in the headmaster to do what was best with Harry, when he was the source of all of his problems, really. He had asked her and Ron to not write to him the summer previous, and it had resulted in the first real row she had ever truly had with Harry aside from the Firebolt incident in their third year. And she had felt like her heart had been wrenched from her chest for leaving him alone when he needed help, much like it had then. And the old man had the audacity to suggest something similar this summer!

No, in the end, Luna was helping Harry in many more ways than Hermione could do for him right now. Admittedly, she felt useless because of that for now, but that was really only because she _was_. There was nothing she could do that would not hinder Harry's current freedom. Luna had been the one to think to keep him from the Dursleys and actually made viable plans to that affect. Luna was the one who was initiating any kind of relationship with Harry that Hermione would have been absolutely terrified to broach on her own.

Hermione knew she would have just sat back on the sidelines and very possibly wound up with Ron. He was the only boy to ever really show any interest in her aside from Viktor Krum, but he had ... _archaic_ views on the position of a woman in a household and had tried to move far too fast for her liking. There was no way she could go to Bulgaria for a summer after meeting him for only a short time, most of which was him sitting quietly in the library while watching her. It was really as creepy as Colin's obsession with Harry. Viktor was a good guy, he truly was, but he was not what she was wanting in a partner.

Hermione would have been worried about what Luna would have been attempting at that very moment if Luna had not specifically stated she would hold off until they had a chance to talk. It was odd, though, how she made it sound as though it would be very soon.

Hermione sighed as she rolled over to her side and stared out the window. At least now she knew for sure she loved him without any doubts. There was no way in hell she would go through such an aggravating situation like this for him if she had not. She still feared losing him and his friendship over this, but she had been very reassured by Luna and decided she would give it a chance. She was not sure what Luna's final comments meant, but it seemed that she either had to try or risk losing him for sure.

Damn that boy for being so bloody lovable!

xXxXxXx

Shadow Walker crept up on his target slowly and silently, not even upsetting the foliage on the ground as he stepped confidently over the twigs and leaves laying about. The fool had the audacity and stupidity to come onto the Lovegood's property while Shadow Walker was making his rounds, and now he was going to die. And he looked darn tasty, too.

Grinning in amusement, Shadow walker stopped three feet from the stray dog and cleared his throat purposefully, alerting his presence to the startled canine who whipped his head to Shadow Walker and whimpered.

"Hello dog. I think I shall call you 'roast'," he said before lunging at the beast in front of him, just slow enough to let the dog take off like a bat out of Hell. He loved it when they ran.

With his grin all but stuck on his face, he leapt from tree limb to tree limb over the dog as it ran from the predator he knew was still chasing him. Shadow Walker chased and redirected the dog around the home of his current charge several times before finally deciding to end it so he could eat the meat that was probably now just toughened enough to make the meal just perfect for the goblin.

Shadow Walker coerced the dog into running a small distance away from the house, but still close enough to see the house in case of someone else showing up before he launched himself from the branch to the dog's path, bringing his arms up and crossing each other with a dagger in either hand. Half way through the jump, his wards on Mr Potter signaled, causing the goblin to curse in his own language, aborting his assault, the goblin apparated directly into the Lovegood's stairwell silently and took in the situation.

Frowning, all he could sense were the two humans he expected to be in the room, but he noticed his charge was releasing abnormal amounts of ambient magic into the room, pouring from his body, which is what had set off his alarms, as they thought the increase in magic meant an increase in the number of humans present.

Mr Potter was thrashing about on his cot, his face covered in sweat as he mumbled quietly for his godfather. Shadow Walker was not allowed to show his presence unless it was needed, so he could not wake the boy up to get him out of his apparent nightmare. He knew humans were fragile creatures, and this one had mentally suffered greatly.

He was about to risk a very weak stinging hex that would feel more like a bug bite when his charge called his godfather's name loudly enough to awaken Ms Lovegood, who crawled out of bed and over next to Harry. She leaned over and shook his shoulder gently.

"Harry. Harry, wake up. You're having a nightmare," she shook him a little more forcefully before he actually woke up and looked about wildly. Luna kept a firm grip on Harry's upper arm as he looked around and then tried to wipe his face clear of the tears that he had cried.

"S-sorry Luna. I didn't mean to wake you." He looked away ashamedly.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Luna asked, sitting next to him and taking a hold of his hand. It appeared as though Hermione had been spot on.

"I'm fine, Luna. I'm sorry, really. Go ahead and go back to bed, I won't wake you up again." He said, almost desperate to get her to go back to bed. Whether fortunate in his mind or not, she could feel him shaking and saw his eyes darting about nervously and was not about to let him get away that easily.

"Do you remember telling Hermione and I how speaking with us last night made you feel better?" She asked, hinting that she was not going to leave. He nodded silently, expecting at this point that Luna was going to be as stubborn as Hermione. While he appreciated the sentiment, it was difficult to talk about.

"Good," she said as she curled into his side and pulled the covers over them both, ignoring Harry's squawk of protest as she pulled him down with her. "Will you tell me about your nightmare? I still have them myself, sometimes, and it is harder to deal with them when you can't speak about them out loud," she whispered, feeling slightly vulnerable to tell him about her own nightmares. She had spent a long time being alone and, as much as she trusted in Harry, changing her methods of self-preservation to allow even admitting that her nightmares existed caused tension in her chest to grow. "Please?"

Harry initially wanted to say he did not have any nightmares, but honestly did not know what he said in his sleep that she could have heard. And beyond that, the part of him that did not want the people he cared about to be in pain or sad took control and compelled him to make her feel better, so when Luna brought up her own nightmares, he found himself unable to deny her what she was asking of him. He felt he owed her for letting him stay with her for the summer, for keeping him away from the Dursleys and because, while she had not said it in as many words, they shared similar histories and she knew how he felt better than anyone than maybe Hermione. Hermione always knew how he felt, some how, and Luna was frighteningly accurate for only really knowing him for less than a year. And those _damned_ eyes of hers!

"I was ... I was dreaming of S-Sirius," he began, accepting her embrace as she hugged him. "I had just ... got into the r-room," he paused as more tears came, letting her pull his head to her shoulder, "and Bellatrix hit him with s-something and," he broke off again, crying desperately into her shoulder as the events played back in his mind's eye.

"He – He looked so surprised!" Harry surprised Luna by wrapping the smaller girl into a fierce hug as he cried. She was unsure of how to handle the situation, not normally in such a predicament like she found herself in. But she remembered how her mother had comforted her, and so she wrapped him into a hug, squeezing slightly to keep him under pressure and hummed gently to him, slowly and quietly singing him to sleep with the last song she could ever remember her mother singing to herself.

It was an odd sensation for Harry, to be held like that and hummed to. It was doing something to him that made the pain from his nightmare lose its hold on him and he grew tired all over again. Her soft voice was lulling him into a sense of calm.

"Bellatrix shot him with a red spell and he just kind of ... fell into the veil," he said into her shoulder. "But in my dream, he was only ha-half way into it and he was trying to c-crawl out. He was begging for me to help him, but I just stood there." Harry shuddered against Luna as he remembered his own apathy when Sirius was begging for help. Luna felt him and began to run her fingers through his hair, pleased to feel his body slacken against her own.

"It was my fault he went there," he whispered after a few moments, catching the attention of both Luna and Shadow Walker, but for different reasons.

Luna pulled back slightly so that she could look him in the eye as she asked, "what do you mean it's your fault?" Before Harry could answer her, she interrupted him and continued on. "You said Dumbledore has known about the prophecy about you since before you were born. Instead of sending you to live with muggles so you would know nothing of magic, he should have sent you to a family he knew was trustworthy so you would not be so woefully ignorant of the magical world. And instead of ignoring you all year long, he should have been helping you the moment he knew Voldemort came back to train, but instead, he sent you back to the Dursleys' and cut off all communication to you so you were unaware of what was happening. Am I wrong?"

Harry blinked as he looked into Luna's eyes and then away, wanting to deny the statements, but knowing they were accurate. "No, you're not," he said, causing Luna to nod.

"Exactly. I will admit that, yes, you do hold some blame for what happened there that night," she said. Harry jerked back in shock and confusion as he registered her words, watching her watch him. That was not how this went. Everyone always told him he was not to blame, except him of course, but still.

"What?" He asked.

"It was your choice to go there that evening, which caused everything else to happen. So yes, you are partly responsible for the events that night," she said, shocking Harry to the core. He thought she did not blame him and yet, here she was, telling him she did.

"Don't get me wrong, Harry. I am not saying that you are solely responsible. If fact, you only hold blame as a pawn, being directed by Voldemort and Dumbledore." She pulled him back into the hug he had broken and snuggled into him, preferring the arrangement than her own bed since he was much warmer.

"I don't understand," he said, sounding as confused as he was. Shadow Walker was only a little less confused, but only because of the contents of the prophecy. At the moment, it would appear the great Albus Dumbledore has been neglecting his duties.

"Voldemort is to blame for setting the whole thing up. For being the cause of all of the hardships. Dumbledore is to blame for not training you as he should have, for not listening to you and for not letting you in on as much as he should have." When she noticed his shocked expression, she felt the need to elaborate. "Don't act so shocked, Harry. Dumbledore is an old man who is used to getting his way. He is also quite secretive. If you had even a part of the information that he told you last night, you would not have acted the same way."

"Er, probably not," he hedged, unsure of exactly what he would have done had he known anything more than he actually had that night. And while it seemed as though Luna did not blame him, she was not going to lie and say he was fully blameless, but that he only held blame because of others. How the hell did that work out? Still, it was comforting to hear.

"Now you sleep," she told him as she snuggled more fully into him and then wrapped them both up in the blanket tightly before beginning to hum gently again. His original exhaustion, mixed with the bad dream and then the conversation took their toll and he simply nodded, accepting the warm and comforting embrace.

Shadow Walker waited until he heard the rhythmic breathing of both of them remain steady and then left the room, writing notes to himself on a notepad to bring up to King Ragnok later. It would seem there was more reason to agree to Black's terms.

xXxXxXx

The next morning, Luna woke up slowly, feeling a heavy warmth on her back. She recognized immediately that she had fallen asleep next to Harry and their positions had changed while they slept. She could feel Harry's breath on her neck and shuddered at the sense of pleasure it sent up her spine. It was nothing erotic in nature, but more the sense of happiness that she could find herself in such a ... companionable situation like this. Waking up and not being alone, being held close by someone that she felt perfectly safe with was something that she had only ever dared dream of, and even then, it was mostly in her weaker moments.

So many of her house mates completely ignored her when she was around, along with most of the rest of the school aside from a few nasty Slytherins. Others just mocked her or stole her things, making it very difficult to sleep without a pillow or walk about the school without shoes, particularly during the winter months.

Waking up next to Harry was thrilling for those reasons. That feeling of being alone was blissfully gone for now, and she relished in a temporary fantasy that he may have wanted to have been there and that he was holding her out of something deeper than a natural desire to be comfortable while he slept or being drawn closer by her body heat.

She felt him shift and resettle himself behind her and felt his embrace around her tighten a moment, letting her realize his right hand was draped lightly over her side with her own arm over top of his, and his hand resting on her breast. She giggled lightly, trying to hold it in when she realized how deliriously happy she was. While she would certainly have been highly disappointed if he had groped her on purpose, she could tell he was still asleep since his breath was coming slow and regular on her neck still, and she was hoping to get him interested anyway, but at least his subconscious would not fight against her attempts to get him thinking about her. She would have to try and get Hermione's help to come up with something to help them expedite any potential relationship. Time was running out all the faster, and they needed to be close with him.

After Luna spent a few minutes enjoying Harry's warmth, she sighed and moved slowly to get out of his embrace. She would have enjoyed staying there until he woke up, but her father was never able to sleep the morning away, even if he had only had a couple of hours of sleep, and he had nearly eleven, if the light coming through the window was any indication. Like most pureblooded males, he was tearfully inept at cooking, which Harry thankfully had not known last night.

Silently, she plodded down the stairs, rubbing at her eyes and into the kitchen where her father was already getting ingredients to burn. "Daddy, you know you are not allowed to cook after you brought that chicken back to life. Go sit down," she said, shooing him off so she could make the meal herself. It had actually been a wonderful memory, and the chicken really was quite playful, but when it tried to eat her father, she was forced to finish it off. Her belly had been so full, but it was scrumptious.

"So, how's your dog holding up? Any messes on the floor?" Xenophilius asked. He was washed and refreshed after a wonderful night's rest and was hoping to get a good look at her new pet. He found he was without his elastic underwear and was hoping to see if there was any evidence caught between his teeth.

"My dog? You mean Harry?" Luna asked as she cracked a few eggs into a skillet.

"Ah yes, that's the one."

"Oh, he's really quite fine. But he isn't a dog. He's just a man." She said casually, putting some hash browns on to fry since her father had already done the hard part of grating it. Xenophilius nodded thoughtfully.

"A man you say?" He asked, making Luna nod the affirmative.

"Well, he isn't yet, but I don't think it will take too long."

Nervously, Xenophilius cleared his throat and glanced at the stairs where the not-yet-a-man would come from. "Ah, well, don't go making him a man too soon, eh Pumpkin?" He suggested as delicately as he could. Luna simply smiled at him, not putting him at ease in the slightest.

Several minutes later, Harry came down the stairs and looked nervously between Luna and her father, who motioned to the chair across from him. "Sorry, Luna. I didn't mean to sleep in so late. I can cook that if you'd like."

Luna waved him off and said, "no worries, Harry. I don't mind cooking and I thought you would sleep a bit later, so I didn't bother waking you," she told him as she handed him a pitcher and bowl full of oranges. "Now start squeezing those oranges. Practice makes perfect, after all," she told him, making Xenophilius' left eyebrow twitch at the seemingly innocent double entendre.

"I probably would have," he said, "but I got cold for some reason, even though I was still wrapped in the blankets." Luna smiled brightly as Harry commented, still in a very good mood. Xenophilius, who was a bit unsure of the situation and feeling less secure as time wore on, decided to start things off with the boy, since he only seemed comfortable with Luna for the moment. And Merlin help the boy if he was _too_ comfortable yet.

"Take a seat, lad." After Harry did as he was told and began working on the oranges, Xenophilius got up and stepped next to him. "Open your mouth, now?" He asked. Nerves getting higher, Harry looked at Luna who smiled and went back to her cooking

"Hmm, you don't have any elastics between your teeth, so I guess you aren't the one who's been taking my underwear," he said, more to himself than the others, though they each heard him. "I suppose you can keep him, honey. But if he makes any messes on the floor, you're cleaning them up, understand?"

"Of course, Daddy," Luna said nonplussed as she plated eggs, bacon, hash browns and some toast on three plates and into smiley faces. "I remember what you told me to do last night." She sat the plates down on the table and they ate the food, Harry a little more quickly thanks to his nerves, as they spoke.

"Well, I've finished work on the next issue of the Quibbler last night so I'd have plenty of free time for the next two weeks. I've got to go out today to stop the printing press and send out the papers, but will be free beyond that if there's anything you need to do."

"I can't think of anything, but I'll be sure to let you know if anything comes to mind," Luna said. Xenophilius looked at Harry.

"What about you, lad? Is there anything you need to get done?" Xenophilius watched the boy's reaction carefully, rather curious as to why he seemed so shocked. It was only a simple question after all.

"Er, no Mr Lovegood. I don't need anything at all, though I would be happy to pay rent if you're willing to let me go to Gringotts," Harry said. He had been surprised at being offered a choice for the day, not being offered anything like that for quite some time. Certainly not by any adult he knew. Xenophilius waved him off, however, making him even more curious about the man with the odd haircut.

"No need for rent, Harry. We've got the room and the food, so it's no bother. And you certainly don't need my permission to go anywhere. You're old enough to go where you please. And please call me Xenophilius, Xeno or Luna's dad. If you're going to be about for the summer, Mr Lovegood will get rather old, rather quickly."

"Er, alright then, sir – Er, Xenophilius," Harry said, working the strange name over his tongue carefully. He was also having a strange time coming to terms with hearing he was allowed to go where he pleased without needing permission first. He felt ... giddy. "I'd like to thank you for letting me stay here for the summer."

"Don't worry about it, Harry. If Luna wants you around, I'm not going to stand in her way. It's a dangerous place to be." Xenophilius looked at Harry's plate and saw that he was finished eating, so he decided to let the boy have an out since they could talk later. It was always good to end a conversation with a new person on a good note, after all. And it seemed his daughter may have some feelings for the boy, so it was best not to scare him away. Luna had a mean streak in her when she wanted to get back at a person.

"Why don't you go shower. We can talk later tonight after I've come back from the office."

"Alright," Harry agreed, but taking his dishes to the sink to wash later. Once out of the room, Xenophilius turned to his daughter, who was already looking at him with an expectant expression.

"Alright. I'll admit that I like him so far." Xenophilius watched the happy expression blossom on his daughter's face and knew he had no choice but to like the boy now.

"Thank you, Daddy."

Xenophilius smiled at ruffled Luna's hair. "Now, you go on. I'll clean up the dishes," he told her. As he watched her bound up the stairs, he could not help putting his hand over his chest and on top of his heart, longing for his wife to still be here to see the woman their daughter was growing up to be.

"You'd be proud of her, Celeste. She is just as beautiful as you were, just as intelligent and even has a small part of your gift. I wish you could see her."

xXxXxXx

Luna skipped up the stairs and into her room where she could hear the shower running through the door and she saw Hedwig, Harry's owl, sitting on her desk over an empty scroll. "Hello Hedwig! Are you here to help me with Harry?" She scratched the owl under her chin as Hedwig snuffled an agreement.

_Hermione,_

_This is to let you know that your suggestions regarding Harry's sleeping arrangements were quite insightful. He did not have the kind of nightmare you were most worried about, but had one instead about Sirius falling through the veil. It would seem he had witnessed the event as it happened._

_I was able to calm him and he slept wonderfully the rest of the night, so we should have few problems with that as long as it doesn't get worse and he accepts the help as it is needed._

_I would like you to come before Sirius' will reading by at least a day, if possible. We should get notifications soon and I am most worried about how he will react. To be honest, I have managed to keep his mind off of Sirius most of yesterday by working on our schoolwork essays and having him teach me a few muggle methods of cooking, but I don't believe I can do that constantly. He is bound to catch on. And besides that, last night's nightmare was the closest thing he's had so far to venting the emotional trauma he's experienced._

_It will be difficult for us to respond via owl for much longer as I believe Dumbledore will become aware of Harry's lack of arrival at the Dursley home soon. I would be surprised if he isn't already aware, but since it was the first day, he would have had to have minders at the property when the Dursleys arrived. But I cannot be sure._

_If you need to contact me in some way, remember what I advised on the Knight Bus._

_Your friend,_

_Luna_

As soon as she was finished, Luna rolled the parchment up and gave it to Harry's owl for delivery. "This goes to Hermione, Hedwig. Please try to get it to her quickly. I think that it would be bad if you arrived too late."

Almost as though sensing Luna's urgency, the snowy-white owl hopped out of the window and flew quickly through the sky, disappearing faster than Luna had seen an owl move in quite some time.

Seeing that she was finished, Luna decided to get started with her common routine, ready for the day to begin.

xXxXxXx

Harry washed the soap out of his hair and eyes from the magical shower in Luna's room. He was feeling very sad now that he had a chance for some quiet from Luna and time alone. For the last day and a half, he had barely had time to think about Sirius and the events at the Ministry. Luna had kept him so busy and his mind engaged in random things that the topic just rarely came to mind as more than a passing thought before she reeled him in to something else. While he loved the girl for it, he hated himself for it as well, feeling as though he should have been mourning his godfather properly.

Harry had been set in his plans to go back to the Dursleys' and mourn silently in his small room, locked away from the world and his friends all over again. He had been ready for the abuse he was likely to receive and the scraping for food just to survive while doing all of their dirty work.

But then _she_ showed up and all but dragged him away as if it were the most natural thing to do at the time. And he supposed it may have been for her. He had learned earlier into the year that she had an odd way of doing things or saying things, but that she always said and did things that were good or honestly made sense in some way. He may not have been able to understand it all, but he felt it was only because he was not connecting the right pieces of information.

Then there was last night. He did not _want_ to talk about what happened at the Department of Mysteries. He did not _want_ to talk about how he felt about things in general because it felt like people were going to pity him if they knew more about him than he was unable to hide. Yes, the Dursleys treated him horribly. Most people know it and do not bring it up any more than needed, and he does not talk about it. End of story, but it's out there.

The events with Sirius and that bloody veil were only seen by a few people. People would ask him about it, but he did not have to answer them. There was nothing to tell them that would matter. He just wanted to mourn the only thing he had to a family, a real family, and be happily miserable with his life.

But again, _she_ came in and stopped him. And he did not even explain anything, really, the night before, but he felt better about it and then slept better than he had in years! Yes, he felt a little foolish and vulnerable with her having seen him cry like that, but she understood what he was feeling. At least, something close enough to it. There was no sense of pity there, just understanding. He only knew Sirius for two years, really, and she had known her mother her entire life until she died. Harry could not find it in himself to not share with the girl. It was like it hurt him when he tried, but helped him when he just let it out, like taking off a bandage with sticky backing. Just like two nights ago when he spoke with both her and Hermione.

How did those two do that?

Just as he was beginning to ponder how both girls could get him to talk about what he would rather not discuss and seemed to have a scary knack for being able to read him better than he would care to admit, he heard the shower curtain open.

Harry spun around and saw a naked Luna Lovegood enter the shower, acting for the world as if she did not care that she was allowing him to see her entire naked form. His stunned eyes were naturally drawn from her smiling face down to her breasts, admiring their rounded forms and noting the curiously pale, pink nipples that had hardened and were sticking out slightly.

Still too shocked to realize what he was doing, his eyes trailed lower to a patch of dark blonde, almost tan, curled pubic hair and slender legs that suddenly folded as she dropped down to pick up the soap he dropped as soon as she stepped into the shower.

Suddenly realizing what was happening, Harry tried to hide his now erect member from the girl who had stopped rising to stare at it, more wide-eyed than before as he pressed himself against the wall and wished he could crawl up its side. "Luna! What are you doing!"

Broken from her observations by his rude hands blocking her view, Luna looked at Harry's shocked face as she rose back to her feet. "Well, you certainly can't wash your own back, can you?" She motioned with the hand that was holding the soap for him to turn around, hiding her eagerness to get a look at his bum and hoping it was just as nice as the frontal view. "Wash your back, Harry?"

xXxXxXx

**[Author's Notes:] ** – Luna's home in detail.

Three floors and a cellar. From the ground up is the cellar, which houses a stockpile of potions and potion supplies they use for their trips, rather than buying them. It's also a safety room, hidden from the outside unless anyone knows it is there. This is left over from Voldemort's first reign and Xenophilius Lovegood's conspiracy theories being abound. Most of the potions are simple and basic healing potions, headache potions, dreamless sleep, etc. Simple things.

The ground floor holds the main living area, which is about two-thirds of the floor. The other third is the kitchen area, along with a small dining section. The whole level is covered in pictures of Luna and her father, mostly Luna, and hand-drawn pictures that are very well-done and of different creatures and animals. This floor also has a half bathroom, their library and the standard closet.

The second floor is Xenophilius' bedroom, along with a full bathroom.

The third level is their office area. It's as large as the first floor, but has three desks and is almost totally filled with stacks of newspapers and documents so that the room is all but a maze of perilously-stacked paper, some of which are stacked all the way up to the ceiling.

The fourth, and last, floor is Luna's bedroom. This room is just as covered in drawn pictures as the first floor and has a desk underneath one of three windows that holds a flag with her face on it. She has a full bathroom, a closet that is spelled to be larger than it originally was and a shelf along the top that circles the whole room and holds knick knacks from her trips with her father. At the head of her bed is a chest that holds her prized possessions, most of which are about her mother and family as a whole.

All furnishings in the building are rounded when against the outside walls and the hand-drawn pictures are everywhere in abundance except Xenophilius' room and the office, though a few are still in each. Both bedrooms have full bathrooms because there are two bedrooms and no main full bathroom. There is just the half-bath that is on the main ground level, since any visitors would only need that portion.

The design was created from a book read to Luna by her mother, who favored the design. A historical explanation will be given in-story for the house.


	3. Notices, Noises and Unbridled Fury

**Title:** Darkened Paths

**Chapter3** – Notices, Noises and Unbridled Fury

**Ship:** H/Hr/L, Nev/Susan

**Key: **"Speech"**, **_'Thoughts'_,** "Speech laden with magic"**, §Parsletongue§

xXxXxXx

**[Author's Note:]** - Has anyone else ever wondered why the phrase "_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies_" is stated twice? I have, and I never saw a reason for that, so I created one for this story. I suggest keeping that in mind for the continuing chapters if you'd like to see what I came up with (and feel free to discuss with others on my forum thread about it.) It will be revisited in-story later, so it will be brought to your attention, I just wanted to give you a heads up.

This chapter also examines my thoughts on why Voldemort, while on the back of Quirrell's head, would not entrust Snape with the knowledge that he was there if he believed Snape to be on his side and yet, still trusts him later in the story. I have yet to see ANYONE bring this up in a story (though I freely admit to reading only H/Hr and H/Hr/L with the occasional H/L, so my experience is limited in the HP fandom to that extent.) After all, what kinds of things could an able-bodied Potion's master do to help if he knew of a method (read: horcrux) to bring back his Lord and Master? He trusts him to make potions that could easily kill him, but wouldn't ask for his help to get the Sorcerer's Stone? Odd that.

**WARNING:** There is mention of a rape that happened in the distant past about three-quarters of the way through this chapter. There is absolutely NO detail and is only mentioned in passing. It does not occur to any of the major characters and this type of description is about the worse that will occur in this story.

**Story Info** and a thread for this story (or any of my others) can be found on my forum so that an actual discussion can take place regarding this story and where it will lead with more than just you and me through PM's/reviews/review replies. It also gives a little history for Shadow Walker, any potential OC's I bring up (as few as possible) and my personal favorite, a discussion about my take on why Luna is the way that she is.

Addendum to previous chapter: Luna's goodnight to Harry was obtained from the H/L fic "Lovegood, Boobs Gooder" by Nonjon.

**I'm out of H/Hr/L fics to recommend! If anyone can recommend any, I'd like to be able to read and recommend them here. **

**Recommended Story of the Chapter:** "Larceny, Lechery and Luna Lovegood!" by Rorschach's Blot (H/Hr/L)

**xXx STORY xXx**

Harry's eyes darted about nervously as Luna sat next to him on the couch in the Lovegood's living room, doing his best to not look at the girl. When she stepped into the shower with him, his initial reaction had been as most people would expect; he just simply froze and stared, taking in the sight of the nude blonde. Excepting Dudley's dirty magazines that Vernon would give the rotund boy that he had caught a glimpse of once, Harry had not actually seen a girl naked before. Especially not one up close and in person.

What was worse was the fact that he could not get the image of her out of his head. As much as he tried, and he had even tried thinking of both Delores Umbridge and Severus Snape going at it in an attempt to get rid of the naughty image of Luna, he was unable to do so, and it was beginning to get quite uncomfortable to sit as he was so she would not notice anything. He had finally had a moment where he could begin to think about his dead godfather, and _she_ came in, just as she had been doing the day before. A big part of Harry was ashamed that his attention was shifting away from mourning Sirius, but another large part of him could not help but feel as though Sirius would find the whole situation hilariously funny, even taking the mickey out of Harry for his trouble.

Granted, the moment he had come back to his senses, which was after the vision of her naked body was forever burned into his mind, he ran from the room. Well, ran or apparated. He was still not totally sure which. His only consoling thought was that he had managed to hold in any screams as he fled.

It was not that he was not very pleased with what he saw, and in fact, he was sure she would haunt his dreams that night, but the fact that he had no idea of why it had happened. He knew Luna to be an odd girl who had a few odder tendencies, but she would not just have stepped into the shower with anyone, would she?

No, he was sure she would not do that. But the question remained; why had she done it now? He had come to know her well enough to be sure it was not because he was _the_ Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived. She was an honest friend, so it certainly was not that she was hoping to do anything shallow. Still, the entire situation was way outside of his comfort bubble.

"Are you working on your herbology assignment, Harry?" She asked, acting as though the events from twenty minutes ago had not happened. Nervously, he brushed his parchment off of non-existent dust and cleared his throat.

"Er, yes, I am," he said, watching her carefully from the corner of his eye enough to catch her smile brightly at him.

"Wonderful! Let's get started then, shall we?" She opened her own book and began to hum the same song she hummed to Harry the night before to herself as she worked. Luna ignored his glances, knowing he was hoping she would offer some sort of explanation to her motives, but she could not do that yet. And besides that, he really _did_ need to work on his homework so they would not forget it later.

Harry sighed quietly to himself as he raised a finger and tried to clear his ear with it, trying to rid himself of an odd whooshing sound as if his ears needed to pop. It had been bothering him practically since he had run out of the shower, so he suspected it was simply water in his ear since he did not take the time to clean it out after his unorthodox escape.

xXxXxXx

Mundungus Fletcher groaned as he got up from his hidden bed in the bushes across the street from Number Four, Privet Drive after being kicked roughly in the ribs. Years of similar awakenings caused him to become mostly alert and look up at his attacker, only to curse when he saw the grizzled and gnarled face of Alastor Moody.

"Where's Potter, you bloody drunk!" The retired Auror snarled, his magic, all-seeing eye twisting about as it scanned Number Four and the houses around it for the boy.

"Hee's prolbly stuffed in 'is room like they do ev'ry summer, ya old fart! Why are ya kickin' meh?" Mundungus asked, slurring his words horribly in his hung over state.

"Because," Moody growled, "he's not in the bloody house or anywhere in sight! His things aren't even about!" Mundungus gaped in shock, the terror of threats issued by several people from nearly a year ago when dementors attacked Harry and his cousin coming back full force. Molly was going to kill him!

"Get up, you oaf! Go check his room while I talk with the whale and find out what he knows." Moody commanded as he stomped towards the front door and shoved it open roughly. "Dursley! I'm home!"

"What the bloody hell!" Vernon Dursley got up from the couch in the living room, his face already a dark purple at Moody's intrusion, not even noticing the dirty figure of Mundungus Fletcher going up the stairs and into Harry's old room. "You're breaking and entering, you bloody freak! Get out of my ho-"

"Shut up, Dursley!" Moody interrupted, stomping to Vernon who paled drastically as Moody pulled out his wand. He did not even bother with asking questions, not knowing how much time it had been since Harry was last seen or the circumstances of his disappearance. Moody went straight for a legilimency scan, witnessing the events on the train platform the same as they should have been, but his memory of the events surrounding Potter's leaving were muddled and murky with signs of residual magic, showing the memory was artificial as Moody watched Vernon tell Harry that he was not welcome in their home that summer in thanks to the witches and wizards who spoke with him to impress upon him how certain attitudes would not be accepted or allowed.

Moody tried to peel away and peek underneath of the modified memory, much like one would lift a shirt to get a peek at the skin underneath, rather than attempting to remove the false memory as it could have severe side-effects on muggles since he was not the one to create the false memory and was only able to witness stray thoughts from Vernon and a murky image of Harry's surprised face. Whatever happened, Potter never made it to Number Four, but left of his own accord from the train station.

As Moody attempted to push the envelop and lift the false memory a little further to see who Harry had been speaking with, a trap within Vernon's mind went off, apparently tied to that particular target or action, and it released a sentinel, or automated defense drone, on Moody's probe, attacking him relentlessly and powerfully, forcing Moody to retreat and reenter his own mind.

Moody's initial sense of dread lessened considerably after realizing that Harry had apparently known and trusted the person he spoke with, but did not go away completely as whoever it was obviously had an adult wizard with them who was as willing to ignore the law as Moody himself to modify the memory of a muggle, meaning he was either somewhere with an adult witch or wizard, or at least had the help of one. Knowing there had been no correspondence between Harry and anyone else for a while, meaning he either had his own, exceptional information network or had this in the works for months, Moody knew someone had met up with him on the platform and gave him an offer he could not, or would not, refuse.

"Stop pointing that _thing_ at my husband!" Petunia Dursley screeched after making her way into the living room through the kitchen door where she had been making lunch for her family since Dudley would be getting home soon. Moody ignored her aside from sliding his wand from Vernon to her, stopping her half way to the two of them in shock and fear as Mundungus came down the stairs heavily.

"He ain't been in 'is room. Tha' whole place be cover'd in dust an' ratty," he said, his fear overcoming the majority of his drunken state. Moody waved him off and out of the house.

"If I didn't see the magic in your head, Dursley, I'd be killing you off right now," the gruff auror stated. "As it is, things are bad enough now. Obliviate!" Moody quickly disillusioned himself while the obliviation left the two adults disoriented enough to miss the man disappearing right in front of them. As he left the house, he closed the door and turned to Mundungus.

"Go check the Leaky Cauldron and the Knight Bus for Potter and then head to Headquarters to meet up with me and Dumbledore if he comes with me," he said, training both eyes on the scared man.

"You won't be tellin' Molly 'bout this, will yeh?" He asked, sounding as scared as he looked.

"Screw this up, and I'll stick you to the wall for her, understand?" Moody growled out, watching the man in front of him freeze and then take off like a bat out of hell to escape the anti-apparition wards to make his rounds.

Moody glared at the disheveled man before shaking his head and walking over to the arranged apparition point across the street that the drunk had apparently forgotten and disappearing with a crack, arriving in the back yard to Arabella Figg's house and used her floo to go directly to the Headmaster's office.

"Welcome, Alastor. Should you not be guarding young Harry right now?" Dumbledore asked, his face a mask of confusion. He had been thinking only a few minutes ago how nice it may have been to discuss battle plans regarding Voldemort with the grizzled auror and lamenting the unfortunate luck that he would be unable to do so with the way assignments had fallen. Albus had always prided himself in being able to predict a person's actions, but this was just spooky.

"I would, if Potter were there to guard," Moody snarled. "He hasn't been to Number Four at all. I've got Fletcher checking the Leaky Cauldron and the Knight Bus after puttin' the fear of Molly into him and came here to report." Dumbledore nodded gravely and steepled his fingers over the desk.

"Tell me what you know," he commanded as Alastor sat down to take the weight off of his artificial leg.

"I arrived to find the drunk passed out on the ground in his usual hiding place. Potter wasn't there. I went in and decided not to waste time with Dursley's attitude since we didn't know what happened to Potter, so I made Fletcher check his room while I checked the uncle's memory." Moody took a moment to reflect on what he had seen before he described the memory. Albus had worked with the man long enough to know that he would volunteer all pertinent information and present it as clearly as possible. Still, he wished that the ex-auror would stop taking his bloody time.

"Dursley's memory had him thinking he got so fed up with a few of us suggesting he treat Potter better," Moody began, not looking Dumbledore in the eye, "that he told Potter he was no longer welcome at their home and that he left without the boy."

Dumbledore's hackles rose. "He didn't actually tell Harry that, did he? He didn't actually say the words?" The old man pressed hard.

"No. After I saw the false memory, I recognized a trace of magical signature. It was almost gone, so it was far too corrupt to get a reading of who did it. But it was a powerful memory charm, and very precise."

"Powerful? How so?"

"Powerful enough to leave a sentinel without any warning it existed," Moody grumped. "I began to lift the false memory that was layered over the original and it came out after me. The bloody thing was powerful on its own, too. It forced me into a retreat. If I didn't make it a point to always keep my guards up, I'd have turned into a bloody vegetable! The damned thing tried a brute force attack on me!" Dumbledore would have allowed himself to be amused at Moody's annoyance if the implications were not so dire.

Sentinels were powerful charms that were truly autonomous. They were extraordinarily difficult forms of legilimency that was usually used on spies and espionage agents during war times in case they were captured and unable to protect their own minds for any reason or used to search for a target memories inside of a person to change their personality from the inside out, giving the caster of the sentinel full control over the person after enough time had passed or altering potentially vital information before allowing the target to get caught. The caster had to sacrifice a memory of intense emotional stress of some form or something with strong emotional attachment to give the sentinel an equally strong desire to protect whatever it was set to guard or search for and destroy, meaning that they are rare as those memories and, when lost, tend to change a person if that person creates them too often. The memory could never be taken back if the sentinel was released. For a sentinel to be given enough power to attack a strong and experienced Legilimens such as Alastor, the caster would have had to have been willing to risk a very strong and powerful memory that was probably something that held a lot of meaning to whoever had cast the charm.

And they had done this to protect a memory in Vernon Dursley's mind about the real events?

"Why would they alter his memory instead of remove it," Dumbledore mused aloud. "An obliviation would simply remove the memory entirely from the mind, rather than going through the risk and trouble of creating both a false memory, and a sentinel strong enough to send you into retreat."

"My guess is that they either wanted us to find the fake memory or leave a clue that they were smart enough to get him moments after being removed from our watchers," Moody said, his paranoia shining through. In his eyes, this was nothing more than a slap to the face of some person basically saying, 'Haha! Look at what I got away with!'

"Alastor, are you alright? You seem ..." Dumbledore _wanted_ to say 'grumpier than normal', but did not think it would be well-received. "Well, as though you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, so to speak."

"Fine," Moody grunted, positioning his leg carefully. "I ran out of pain relieving potions for this leg last night and haven't had a chance to brew any more up. And there's no way in hell I'll go to that pet death eater of yours," he growled out as he saw Dumbledore open his mouth for that very suggestion.

"Severus has my full trust and confidence, Alastor."

"Maybe so, but not mine. Once a death eater, always a death eater," Moody barked out, his fake eye swirling around as if in search of the man to kill. Albus sighed heavily and decided to ignore it for now.

"Regardless, we must find Harry quickly. We cannot be sure he was not Imperius'd-"

"The boy's immune," Moody interrupted, causing Albus to bow his head in acquiescence. It had become a rather popular bit of gossip during his fourth year and Albus was a little ashamed he had neglected to remember that fact. The simple fact was that Harry did not want to be controlled, by anybody.

"Quite right. Then perhaps under a strong compulsion charm, which he would not have fought nearly as hard as he is not fond of the Dursleys' either. No matter the method, we must find out who he has left with. I would like you to go to the Burrow and look at Ronald's memory of the time there and then Miss Granger's, if you could. I will head to-" Albus was cut off as a fierce-looking owl wearing a collar with the Gringotts crest emblazoned on it flew through the window and alighted on his desk. The two men looked at each other for a moment before Albus removed the rolled up parchment and the owl took off as a second Gringotts owl came through the window with a parchment as well, this one being a standard owl that was far slower than the previous one.

"Don't just stare at 'em, Dumbledore, read the bloody things!" Moody said, his frustration coming through again Albus opened the scrolls and read them, somewhat miffed that the second was actually the missive from his informant within Gringotts who used overly slow means to notify him so as not to bring attention to himself.

"Well, this certainly complicates matters," Albus sighed as he waved the letter in the air slightly to show it to Alastor. "This first letter was a warning that the will of Sirius is going to be read in six days' time."

"So soon?" Moody asked, surprised. Being the will reading of the head of a most ancient and noble house, this was extremely fast compared to tradition. "I didn't even know Black had a will. I know he still had full legal rights since he was never convicted, but never knew him to make it out of Headquarters."

Dumbledore shook his head and raised a hand to his chin in thought. "He hadn't. I had warded the home so I knew who came and went and he never passed through the wards after authorizing us to use it and taking up residence there and he had nowhere he could floo to, so he did not bypass them."

Moody frowned as he considered that statement. He was all for taking all of the necessary precautions, but he had been able to see the wards Albus had set up and there were far more than such basic wards like that and the Fidelius. "Then how did he set up a will? I know he didn't have one before Azkaban. The Ministry looked into it to see if there was anything they could use to gain control over the estate."

"I am unsure, but we cannot allow Harry to go to the reading," Albus said with a frown of his own.

"Why not? Have you decided what you're going to teach the boy so he can kill Voldemort?" Moody asked, but narrowing his eyes as Albus shook his head.

"You know the contents as well as I do, old friend. Neither can die while both are alive except by killing each other. Harry would not be able to get the training he needed to kill Voldemort, even if I spent all of my time with him. Voldemort has used far too many power-enhancing rituals and has too much knowledge over the boy." Albus leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes as he thought of how the wizarding world would have to lose Harry. "Once Harry is gone, then the prophecy becomes invalid, and I or anyone else will then be able to then kill Voldemort, but only then. I am afraid he will not be able to learn enough, fast enough, to make any kind of difference."

"Don't you think it would be best to train him up so Voldemort's weakened, then? The boy has an otherworldly luck, Dumbledore. I wouldn't be surprised if he could pull it off and live through it," Moody said, advocating Harry. Yes, he knew of the prophecy, but he had his own interpretation of it that Dumbledore had not even considered when he told Moody the full contents. Alastor Moody was not a man who put much faith into prophecy or the idea that only one person would be capable of killing a particular person.

However, he was enough of a realist to be able to say he knew next to nothing of prophecy and Divination and that prophecy in general was complex enough that it could have some magical reason for it. And after learning about Harry's second year at Hogwarts and the true nature of the diary the boy destroyed, he had a very good idea of exactly why it had to be Harry Potter. To that effect, he did not trust in Dumbledore's judgment in his interpretation.

"I still think it would be best to train him up. If you'd done as I suggested fourteen years ago, then he would truly be unstoppable right now," Moody grunted, remembering how he wanted to take the boy in and train him as a warrior that would strike pure fear into the hearts of those pureblooded bastards who hid behind their white masks.

"My decision will remain, Alastor. You may check on the Weasleys and Miss Granger. I must make a few stops within the Ministry." Without waiting for a response, Dumbledore went to the fireplace and floo'd to the Ministry of Magic. Once he was gone, Moody began his trek out of Hogwarts and cursed Dumbledore's name the entire way.

"Dumbledore could have at least let me use the floo first so the security wards wouldn't stop me," he grumbled.

xXxXxXx

Hermione set down her quill and looked up from her potion's essay when she heard a tapping from her window. When she saw the snowy owl flapping her wings to remain at the window, Hermione smiled and got up, pleased to see the letter in Hedwig's talons.

"Hello Hedwig! What have you got there, hmm?" She asked as she unfurled the scroll, noting Hedwig flew out her window immediately rather than waiting for a response. Hermione looked out the window in confusion for a moment, knowing Hedwig had never done that before. She was always willing to remain and take a reply back. Suddenly anxious, Hermione all but tore the parchment open and began to read.

_Hermione,_

_This is to let you know that your suggestions regarding Harry's sleeping arrangements were quite insightful. He did not have the kind of nightmare you were most worried about, but had one instead about Sirius falling through the veil. It would seem he had witnessed the event as it happened._

_I was able to calm him and he slept wonderfully the rest of the night, so we should have few problems with that as long as it doesn't get worse and he accepts the help as it is needed._

_I would like you to come before Sirius' will reading by at least a day, if possible. We should get notifications soon and I am most worried about how he will react. To be honest, I have managed to keep his mind off of Sirius most of yesterday by working on our schoolwork essays and having him teach me a few muggle methods of cooking, but I don't believe I can do that constantly. He is bound to catch on. And besides that, last night's nightmare was the closest thing he's had so far to venting the emotional trauma he's experienced._

_It will be difficult for us to respond via owl for much longer as I believe Dumbledore will become aware of Harry's lack of arrival at the Dursley home soon. I would be surprised if he isn't already aware, but since it was the first day, he would have had to have minders at the property when the Dursleys arrived. But I cannot be sure._

_If you need to contact me in some way, remember what I advised on the Knight Bus._

_Your friend,_

_Luna_

With a sigh of relief, Hermione fell into the chair at her desk and swallowed heavily. She had begun to fear something bad had happened when Hedwig left without waiting. Hedwig had always waited for Hermione's replies before.

Setting the paper down, she tried to think over what Luna had said in her letter. It was strange, really, for the girl to be so perceptive of a person she had only known for roughly a year. The worst part about this was that she was right. Harry was not venting his loss in any way. While it was understandable, considering how recently it had happened, it would be counter-productive to his own healing. It was only the fact that it was so soon that kept her from wanting to press him to talk about it, knowing that would hurt him as bad, if not worse, than holding it in.

Hermione folded the paper and set it in the drawer on her desk before putting her elbows on the top and holding her head with a sigh. "Why in the hell does his life have to be so complicated?" She asked no one in particular. "Why couldn't he just have normal problems like girls, grades and perverted old men?"

Looking back on it, he technically did, she supposed. He was going to have issues with both herself and Luna soon. Not to mention Cho, apparently Ginny and the thousand or so women who wanted to have his babies. Then there was the fact that he usually followed Ron's lead and was usually drawn away from his schoolwork, making poor grades as a result. And Snape certainly seemed to have an unhealthy interest in him.

_'Ewww!'_ she thought with a shudder.

"Hermione! There's a Mister Moody here to see you!" Hermione's mother called from downstairs, bringing Hermione's thoughts back to the present. She had not even heard the doorbell ring.

Hermione grabbed her wand and went downstairs, keeping the tip pointed out and looking first at the gnarled man's hands and then his face. "Is something wrong?"

Moody smiled as he saw her wand remain trained on him, albeit discreetly, and how she checked his hands before anything else. _'Smart girl,'_ he thought as Hermione's parents stood at the entryway and watched, disturbed by the gnarled man

"I'm going to be blunt, Granger. We don't know where Potter is. Do you have any idea?" He watched as her eyes narrowed before almost immediately changing over to faux surprise and worry. Suspecting the girl to have been up to something, he read her surface thoughts quickly before she spoke, silently wondering how in the hell a girl could think that bloody fast.

_'They've already found out! They'll make Harry go back to the Dursleys'! Can't let on we're helping him. Prepare for paranoid questioning!'_ Moody was not sure if he should be proud or insulted as he deciphered her thoughts.

"He's missing! What the hell are you doing here and not looking for him!" She asked, waving her armed wand hand about. Moody admitted to himself that he may very well have been as paranoid as she thought as he noted that her wand was always still pointed directly at him, no matter which way her hand twisted.

"We are looking for him, Granger. I am just checking your home in case you've heard anything and will be going to the Weasleys' home as soon as I'm done," he said carefully. "I'd also appreciate it if you would stop waving your wand about."

Hermione decided she was pressing her luck, so acquiesced to his warning, knowing that was what it was. "What's Dumbledore doing? Is he looking for Harry also?"

"He's got the Order looking and is taking care of some things at the Ministry. He'll be out looking later," he told her evasively, not giving out more specifics than needed to ease her mind. "Now, if you haven't heard from him, I should go out looking again." He had to hand it to the girl. The entire confrontation, she did not think of the boy's location, though she did acknowledge to herself she knew it. But she also believed she was protecting Harry, which made Moody come to a decision. He would simply keep track of Hermione and see what he could find out. Whoever was helping Potter obviously had this girl's belief that they were trustworthy with Harry's well-being, which he knew for a fact that she would not be willing to risk to most people. He could already see her mind coming up with the most debilitating, non-lethal hexes she could think of, some of which were rather painful.

"The only two places he really knows he can go are the Burrow and Headquarters. He never really went anywhere else," she offered, attempting to sound helpful without giving anything away. However, Moody's scanning recognized that she also thought of one other place; Luna Lovegood's home.

"I'll try Headquarters after the Burrow, then." He turned and left, not giving Hermione's parents so much as a bye your leave. As he walked out the door, he carefully cast an owl detection ward around the property and went to the side of the house where he could apparate unseen.

Inside, Emma watched as her daughter frown thoughtfully and wondered why her little girl had lied to a man who was looking for her missing friend. "Hermione? Why did you lie to that man?"

Hermione looked at her mother in surprise and shock, having forgotten anyone else was there. "They want to send Harry back to his relatives' house and they absolutely, and quite literally, hate him. And he certainly doesn't have any love for them. They're absolute monsters," she grimaced. "They treat him like a slave and I suspect they abuse him, so a friend and I managed to get him to her house for the summer without anyone knowing."

Dan and Emma both raised eyebrows at the thought of the boy staying at a girl's house for the entire summer and Hermione appearing so calm about it, since they were both capable of reading their daughter's thoughts and feelings about the boy in the letters she sent home. She was poor at hiding her feelings and thoughts from people who knew her as well as they did. They knew she had left out a lot of things from her five years at Hogwarts and that she was doing the same thing now.

Hermione was about to say a little more when they heard a tapping at their front window. Hermione walked forward and opened the door to allow the owl to enter and then relieved it of its rolled up letter.

"Honey? What is it?" Dan asked when Hermione's arms dropped after reading the letter.

"Harry's godfather died two days ago and he's not taking it too well, and the will reading is in five days," she told them quietly, wondering how Harry was taking the letter he was bound to receive.

xXxXxXx

Alastor appeared in Diagon Alley with a small crack and hobbled over to the Leaky Cauldron where he ordered a late breakfast and fire whiskey. He had a decision to make, and was not sure what he wanted to do, or if he wanted to make the decision sober.

In the one hand, he had Albus Dumbledore, his allegiance to the Order of the Phoenix and Harry's current location. This basically amounted to a controlling old man who wanted to keep the boy weak and then send the lamb after the lion to die. Dumbledore said that one had to kill the other and that Potter had no chance and was being set up to die. As an auror, that had been completely against his code of conduct, and to be honest, he had grown fond of the brat, though he would not admit to it unless he had to. He still was not sure what made Dumbledore think Voldemort could be killed once Harry was dead. The exact quote, after all, said 'must' die at the hand of the other, not that it was the only possibility.

In the other hand, he had the boy's location, signs that he was finally developing a backbone to take the control he would need to get stronger and his own beliefs over the prophecy where he took the quote 'either must die at the hand of the other' to mean that, if the Potter boy died, no one else would have enough power to stop the Dark Lord for one reason or another.

Moody was not a believer of prophecy, and did not believe this was any different, but knowing the power-boosting rituals Riddle had used, the knowledge he had gained while obsessed with power for twenty years and not knowing what else he did not have, he believed that there had to be something tying the boy into the whole thing with Voldemort that actually gave him an edge.

There was very little that could hide from his eye, and he could tell there was something off about that scar on his forehead. The natural paths the boy's magic coursed through his body diverted from the norm and passed through that point on his forehead and not in small amounts. It was like a tiny reservoir where magic was stored, but Moody could not, for the life of him, figure out what it was. If it was not the fact that it felt fully of Harry's own magic, simply in high concentrations, he would have been suspicious of it.

Moody shook his head as Tom the barman gave him his usual morning fare and stopped allowing himself to get sidetracked. The topic was not Harry's scar, but what Moody had to do. The decision was to tip Dumbledore off and all but get the boy killed due to inaction, and possibly doom the world if his own thoughts of the prophecy were accurate, or let the boy have his summer, for as long as it would last before Dumbledore found him, which was all but inevitable. If the boy was safe for now, what did it matter if he was going to have a good time for two months before he died or not? His dieing was exactly what Dumbledore was after, after all. So why did he want to keep him safe?

As he ate, after performing the necessary checks for any magical alterations to his food, Moody weighed the pro's and con's of both options and realized that, no matter what happened, Dumbledore would get the boy. It was only a matter of time and attrition. Dumbledore was not the type to take his time when he did not need to and was too stubborn for his own good.

In the end, he decided to take a look and see how safe the Potter boy would be while there and how he was currently holding up before making his decision. But if all was well, then he would give the boy whatever time he could get away with. If Dumbledore did not want to train him so he could die, then at least he could hope to get a little naughty before getting locked up again.

With a burp, Moody dropped enough coin on the table to pay for his meal and decided to apparate a small distance from the Burrow so he would not apparate near anyone he did not know about.

xXxXxXx

"Give me one good reason why I don't kill each and every single one of you," Voldemort hissed with narrowed eyes. "You and the others were bested by six children still in their fourth and fifth years of Hogwarts! Everyone but you was captured, and even then, I pulled you out. Tell me, Bellatrix. How are you still of any possible use to me?" Voldemort was shaking in his rage, barely able to keep himself seated in his thrown-like chair when all he really wanted to do was pace around and fling heavy and sharp items at whoever was unfortunate enough to cross his path.

He had perfected the ability to possess people over the years he spent as a spectre in the forests of Albania, constantly taking over the life forms of animals and, when he needed to or wanted to have some fun, other humans. For ten years, he had perfected the art, realizing he got more time within a body if he took it with more finesse than by brute force. It kept the spirit from fighting as hard and the body did not wear down as quickly. No matter how badly they fought, however, he always won and it never took him any trouble to do it aside from maintaining his superiority over the original soul.

Potter had expelled him from his body after mere seconds! And had caused him a horrible amount of pain in doing it! The fight had drained his own immense magical core very quickly, almost depleting him of his power. After they returned to their base, even though he was even more furious than he was now, he had gone straight to his personal quarters under the guise of being too angry to see his failure of a lieutenant in worry he would kill her, while in truth, it was because he was almost unable to remain standing. While it helped to make her believe his fury had lessened considerably from then, and that he worked to keep her alive, the truth hurt even more. Especially knowing he had to keep it secret.

"My Lord, I've used all of yesterday to get information on the Ministry's plans for those who were captured and now know where they are being held and have come up with a plan to expedite their release," Bellatrix LeStrange told her Lord and master from her bowed position on the floor. She knew she was her Lord's most trusted servant, but the truth of the matter was that she could not be sure he honestly would not kill her.

Voldemort thought silently as he looked at the woman in front of him, on her hands and knees with her forehead on the cold, stone floor. Lucius Malfoy had been the one in control over the mission to retrieve the prophecy, so he knew he should not kill her for his mistakes, especially when he could not trust any other death eater with nearly the same capacity as Bellatrix. She liked to have her fun, but she was still the most talented with her wand as well, and he was apparently dangerously low on competent followers.

His eyes shifted to the two dead bodies of newer death eaters who had been in the room when he entered with Bellatrix behind him. They had not even had the chance to defend themselves as he had immediately cast a killing curse between the two recruits with enough force to separate them and fling both in opposite directions. It would be a technique he would have to practice in the future, attempting to kill more than a single opponent with a single shot.

"I will pardon the incompetence that was shown that night since it was _dear_ Lucius who was in charge that night," he said. "Tell me how we can get my Inner Circle back so that I can deal with their incompetence in a more constructive manner."

Bellatrix raised herself so that she was sitting on her feet and remaining in her place, still not sure she was out of trouble quite yet. "Yes, my Lord. Some loyal sympathizers in the Ministry spread the word that they are being held within high-level security cells within the Department of Mysteries rather than the standard cells and will be moved to Azkaban in approximately six days' time as Delores Umbridge has been able to talk Fudge into believing that the Dementors' area effect will cause them to be less capable of withholding information and give us time to release them."

Voldemort nodded thoughtfully, pleased to see some of his followers had some form of intelligence. Veritaserum did force the subject to tell the truth, but it did _not_ force them into telling the _whole_ truth. Anything that was asked directly would be answered with honesty, but nothing had to be volunteered. Admittedly, the Dementors effects would certainly cause them to be more open with their answers, but this gave them a chance to stop any questioning from taking place.

"And he is not getting pressure from Dumbledore otherwise? I find that odd," he said.

"He is, yes. However, it would appear Narcissa Malfoy has put things into our favor with a few well-placed donations, most of which are to the fictitious front companies Lucius set up for such purposes so that Fudge will be getting a good bit of motivation to help our cause."

"I do love these bureaucrats and their love of money," Voldemort said, almost sounding amused. Of course, it was even better when it was someone else's money he was using to pay them off.

"One of our people on the inside will let us know when the exchange is occurring since they will not have an exact time of day until the day they move them, so I think we should think of teams to be ready constantly so that we can move as soon as the alert comes through. Does this please you, my Lord?" Bellatrix looked at Voldemort with a look of such piteous desire to please him that it almost made him wish he could feel sympathy towards her. Instead, it amused him to know she was so strongly devoted to him. She was such a useful tool.

"Yes, Bella, you have pleased me." He watched passively as a happy and relieved smile spread across her face, mostly replacing the crazed look she usually sported.

"Thank you, Master," she said, bowing her head.

"I want you to find Severus and have him come to see me. I have some questions I would like to have answered."

Bellatrix bowed deeply and responded with a worshiping tone, "Your desires are my command, Master." As she got up to leave, Voldemort watched as she swayed her hips in a sultry manner. He frowned slightly as he realized he had no desire to take her to his bed as he used to do before his original downfall.

He had exchanged his ability to reproduce, and therefore any libido, in his original rise to power, gaining the state of eternal youth so he would not age. By exchanging the ability to extend his line, or to have children, he got to live in its place via such a method. While not the original immortality he had hoped for, it was a necessary loss in conjunction with his horcruxes to keep him from turning to dust in the years he would live through.

During his revival, however, that part of him had also been restored and he had indeed found his desire returned to him, but it was as if it had been broken and happened at seemingly random times. Most inconvenient, really. If he did not know better, he would swear his body was going through puberty all over again.

He had tested the effects and found that the original ritual used for eternal youth had been broken when he lost his body, which it had been tied to. It actually was not as big of a loss as he had originally feared. His time as a spectre had allowed him the chance to visit a good many places unseen and unstopped, which was why he had waited until his nemesis began his Hogwarts education to come back.

One such place had been a repository of knowledge hidden within a dragon's nest in Romania that had later become part of a reserve by a people who had learned to control the temperamental beasts. They did not have a method of immortality, but they did have a method of hardening the body against the dragons they controlled, which had effectively defended them against the ravages of time until the soul left the body during a rite of passage where they believed some religious nonsense that they went on to another life and actually wanted to die. It was a long series of potions and spells with no small amount of lengthy rituals, but oddly without sacrifices to allow his body to not age. There were some ancient and powerful wards protecting the inner chambers that he had only been able to pass through in small animals, but he had been working on them and developed ways of getting through most of them.

He still wondered what had happened to the people if such a thing had been the case. There were no bones, skeletons or records of their leaving and the information he had been able to read in such small forms, which was admittedly small, was powerful magic. And he had not had time to memorize everything he wanted as the dragons had learned to sense him far more quickly than he would have liked. He had the odd feeling that they were guarding the repository rather than simply existing beside it.

As a general concept, Voldemort did not care so much about sex or the chance to have an heir as that all but admitted that he would be doomed to death at some point, either through time or by an uppity heir who was tired of waiting. However, if he had problems with such a thing in this body, there was the worry that he may have other problems. It was for that reason that he was making plans of returning to the dragon reserve and getting into the repository after figuring out how to get past the dragons and traps he had seen while entering in various animal forms. That, and he did honestly miss the high he could get by bedding any woman he wanted, when he wanted to.

The other reason he did not want to alert anyone was because he was unsure of who he could trust with the knowledge of the long-forgotten magics he had found. Several of his 'most loyal' death eaters had taken the time he was gone to help themselves rather than him when he needed it the most. While he would not admit such things out loud, lying to himself was a folly he knew not to risk. Lying to himself did not make the problems go away, but left him unprepared to handle them when they arose. Lucius Malfoy himself knew about his horcruxes, being entrusted with the very first he had ever created with the death of that simpering and whiny bitch from that bathroom.

It still amused him to no end to know that everyone hated her crying and temperamental fits, but none had asked her why she was so upset. He had enjoyed using magic to make people do his bidding, but after finding a girl he had been able to force to do as he told her and pleasure him, but so disheartened with her life that she would not tell anyone and instead let it happen had been one of his first true acts of evil on his path to darkness, and had truly opened his eyes.

Sure, he had done many bad things in his life and was not exactly a saint before his stolen time with Myrtle, but before that, his times with girls had been consensual and more for the ability to say he had taken from those girls what could only be given to a single man in the girl's life. It had been a fun game to play, and even more highly amusing when their betrothed thought their girlfriends were being given an honor or simply did not know it had happened.

The LeStrange brothers and Lucius Malfoy, respectively, were some of the ones he had found most amusing. Poor Lucius thought that Narcissa was well and truly faithful! Ha! It still made Voldemort want to chuckle every time he saw Lucius bowing and kissing the hem of his robes. And the LeStrange brothers ... They were not idiots, but they honestly thought he was honoring them by having Bellatrix first. Purebloods were such blind fools.

"You wished to see me, my Lord?" Severus Snape asked as he swept into the room, his robes billowing out as he moved in front of his master and bowed.

"Yes, Severus. I have some questions I would like answered," Voldemort said, letting the thoughts of horcruxes, dragons and rituals move to the back of his mind while he focused on the man bowing before him.

"Yes, my Lord. I will answer whatever I am capable of." Snape was careful to maintain his subservient position and sound as placating as possible. When Bellatrix found him, she had appeared far too pleased as she spoke about their Lord's irate state of mind, prancing about and blathering on about how her master was showing the embodiment of the Dark Lord he was deep down. He really did not want to be hit with another cruciatus curse if he could avoid it. He had not finished the potions to cure its effects quite yet.

"Excellent. Then I would like to start with a few things I've learned in the past few months and have been thinking over which recent events have caused me to examine more closely," he said, sounding as though he were talking about the weather. Snape's danger sense began warning him that he was going to have to think very carefully and quickly if he wanted to get out of this alive.

"Let's start at the beginning, shall we? Four years ago, you stopped Quirrel from obtaining the Sorcerer's Stone. Your part in the endeavor was to set up the potions between simple fire walls, easily bypassed with the flame-freezing spell. First, I would like to know why you stopped Quirrel from obtaining the stone and, second, I would like to know why you left an honest method of getting past the fires when the object of the defenses was to keep anyone from getting to it. Dumbledore himself told you he believed I was the one after the stone, but still you guarded it. I want to know why, for both."

Snape had not expected to be questioned about the tasks set during that year. Even right after the events themselves, each of those who had a hand in the defenses had not questioned why they had used such simple tasks in order to defend the stone. Honestly, who could see a single troll and Cerberus, both of which could be taken out instantly with a killing curse, a locked door in which a simple 'alohamora' would open, a plant, easily defeated by any witch or wizard who took their first year herbology classes or just wanted to burn the plant with fire to get rid of it as any overgrown weed or the other two challenges, both of which a simple blasting charm would solve, would actually stop a dark wizard?

"I attempted to stop Quirrel because he was not you, or so I believed. I did believe you may appear, but was not aware of how. I did not want that stuttering fool to get it, so I stopped him as I could."

"And the ease of the 'tasks'?" Voldemort asked. "What of those? They could not stop a group of three first year students, much less a dark wizard."

"Ample use of compulsion charms, my Lord. It was actually Dumbledore's idea to use the stone as bait and keep the tasks simple so that it would force a confrontation between you and the Potter brat."

"And just why would he want to risk his precious golden boy?" Voldemort hissed dangerously.

"He believed that there would be some way that he could beat you or you could simply beat each other while you were in your weakened state. He made sure to have Hagrid pick up Harry and pick up the stone at the same time so the brat would have the knowledge of where it came from and who he could get information from throughout the year."

Voldemort rubbed his chin in thought, curious about the old man's apparent disregard for his pet project. It was curious, actually. The story truly sounded plausible, probable, even. But it raised a question that Voldemort had asked himself almost two years after becoming a wraith in Scotland. Could the events of that Halloween been a product of Dumbledore's manipulations just as the events four years ago had been? Could Snape actually be Dumbledore's double agent instead of his own?

These were the questions that plagued his mind during that year that kept him from letting Snape know he was there and why he had not asked for his assistance. After all, Snape could have been an invaluable asset during that time, possible obtaining one of his horcruxes and using his potion abilities to help revive him, maybe even obtaining the stone and creating the elixir of life in a large quantity before putting the stone back after suiting their needs.

But he had been so vulnerable in that state that he could not risk anyone he could not trust learning the truth, and his spy was a master occlumens. He would always be able to recognize any attempt to read his mind to find any true allegiances. While he could be brought back with his horcruxes, this version of himself, the original, could have been banished to Hell, or something like it, had he been found out and caught.

"What of two years ago? After you allowed Potter to hit you with a spell and escape the shrieking shack, you left to find them at the end of the tunnel under the whomping willow. It is my understanding that you protected Potter and his friends when you saw the werewolf, placing yourself between them. Why?"

Snape repressed a groan as he first made a mental note to find and torture Pettigrew, as he was the only one to witness the event and have any chance of reporting it. "I do not know, my Lord. I simply reacted when I saw Lupin in his transformed state."

Voldemort leaned back in his chair and inspected the Potion's master. Nothing he said rang as an outright lie or evasion of the truth to him, but it seemed off, nonetheless. "Very well, Severus. You have sated my curiousity. But I will have a test of your allegiance soon. You may leave." Voldemort watched as Snape rose and bowed.

"As you wish, my Lord."

Once alone, the Dark Lord contemplated what he would be doing next. He needed more highly-trained death eaters, a method of getting past dragons and through the final two wards he knew existed on the path to the repository he had found and finally, he needed to find out whether Severus Snape was his or Dumbledore's.

xXxXxXx

Alastor saw the Lovegood home ahead of him, causing him to sigh. Why did the family have to be so odd? They were good people, one of the few families he was not suspicious of at any given moment to be honest. They did not care for personal gain or have dark tendencies in anything they did, and he respected that in them.

Though he began to wonder if the Granger girl had the right of his paranoia.

"Greetings, Moody," a gruff voice said behind the aged and paranoid auror, causing him to squawk and spin around with a wand in either hand and his magic eye swirling about wildly for the invisible source of the voice.

"Shadow Walker!" He snarled out as he roamed the woods and ground for any sign of the sneaky warrior. _'Screw paranoia! I'm paranoid for a damned good reason! It keeps me alive!'_ He thought angrily. He would rather be paranoid and laughed at than the one laughing and about to get killed. "What are you doing here? Show yourself!"

"Relax," the goblin said as he waved from a tree branch where Moody spotted him and barely refrained from training his wand on the goblin warrior. Moody knew, without a doubt, this one could kill him without even trying. It was one of the reasons he hated the wrinkled bastard so much. "I'm here on orders of King Ragnok, per instructions left by the late Lord Black. Now tell me what you are doing here," the goblin said, making a not so subtle reach for his favorite dagger, making sure Moody got the hint.

"I'm here to see if Potter is safe. Dumbledore wants to put him back at his relatives because the boy ran off and left them," Moody told him, deciding it was best to not lie.

"Oh yes, I know all about the relatives," Shadow Walker growled out with narrowed eyes. "I met the oaf that calls himself Potter's uncle at the train station. I've never wanted to kill a human more in my life!"

Moody's single eye widened. "You mean _you_ were the one to memory charm the bastard? And you put that damned sentinel in his head, too? Why the hell did you do that!" It was no wonder he was unable to recognize the magical signature and why the sentinel was so damned strong! Goblins, in general, were more powerful than wizards, especially with mind-related arts. And this goblin was one of the more powerful they had!

"Yes, I did."

"Why? Why not just obliviate the muggle and be done with it?"

Shadow Walker grinned toothily at the gnarled auror as he replied, "to be honest, I was expecting Dumbledore to be the one to search the human's mind."

"What was the sentinel supposed to do?" Moody asked, curious.

"It was designed to find all of the memories the human had of his abuse of Mr Potter and force Dumbledore to experience them first hand from the human's point of view, as if he were the one harming the boy."

Despite himself, Moody was impressed. It was actually a really good idea and something that he would have loved to have seen the effects of. "A good idea, I'll admit," Moody said, turning to the house and gesturing with his hand. "So, what exactly is going on here?"

"Miss Lovegood and Miss Granger did not want Mister Potter remaining with his _relatives_," he spit the word out like a curse, "and decided to get him to Miss Lovegood's home to help with the emotional distress of Mister Black's passing."

"I see," Moody frowned thoughtfully. "So why are _you_ here?" Moody asked again.

"I cannot tell you much, as it would be against my orders. However, since you stated you are here to simply see if he is safe, I will tell you that I am here to protect him at least until Mister Black's will reading. I have been ordered, by both my King and an agreement with Lord Black to use any and all means necessary to keep him safe," Shadow Walker eyed Moody carefully and could tell he immediately understood the meaning of his comments. The only people getting to Harry Potter would be doing it only after getting through Shadow Walker, which even Dumbledore would have trouble with.

"I understand," Moody said before his eye caught sight of an owl coming through the sky. He looked up and followed its path with both eyes. "It looks like Potter's about to find out about the reading."

Shadow Walker watched the owl and nodded resolutely. "We should keep an eye on him. If he needs guidance, I cannot help him. Human minds are too awkward."

Moody snorted as he disillusioned himself and they both trekked to the back of the house where they could look through the window into the living area. "I'm not exactly the 'cry on my shoulder' type. And what are these wards around the house? They don't appear normal and I can't make rhyme or reason out of them."

"There are the standard home defense wards that most wizarding homes have, but the others are ones that Miss Lovegood herself seems to have created."

"The child? What on earth do they do?" Moody asked, aghast. Ward creation was post NEWT level work as it required creating runic keystones to tie the whole assembly into and crafting a ward that actually _did_ anything was beyond extraordinary.

"I am not sure if they do anything, to be honest. She made them not long after losing her mother and this building was rebuilt if the apparent age of the wards mean anything. They are extremely complex, but I cannot tell if they actually do anything. Their structures are simply too haphazard and meshed together, even though they expand nearly fifty yards out from the building."

"Rather odd, but I suppose it makes sense that she would worry about losing her last remaining parent. Very abnormal for her to actually make any that actually formed, much less did not explode." Moody was also curious about how the young girl would have been capable of producing the power needed to create the wards that large.

"Agreed. But as a side effect, they manage to block all magic from escaping their boundaries. It's really remarkable, but I'm unsure if that was by design or accident."

"We can look into it later, but he's about to leave the building," Moody said, keeping track of the boy with his all-seeing eye.

xXxXxXx

Harry held his hands up in a defensive position as Luna held herself above him on the couch. She had finished her homework essay before he had and begun working on her Charms essay before looking at him and simply straddling him and looking into his eyes with her own curious gaze.

The part that was scaring him, however, was that her wand was pointed right at his eyes while she repeatedly cast a lumos spell. That, and he was uncomfortable with the knowledge that she was very close and it was taking a lot of his concentration to keep from reacting to her.

"L-Luna, what are you doing?" He asked nervously, amusing Luna as she looked into his wide and absolutely confused eyes. How amusing!

"I was reading up on a charm I was writing my essay about for enhancing vision and wanted to look into your eyes," she said distractedly. "They say eyes are the window to the soul, you know. But I can't find yours in there. Are you holding it hostage in your toes?"

Harry could not help himself and laughed before reaching up and tickled her sides, causing the blonde girl to squeal happily and fall on top of him as she instinctively pulled her arms close to defend against the onslaught before rolling off and onto the floor with a thump. Harry looked over the side where he saw her looking up at him with a goofy grin on her face. "No, I keep it held hostage in my nose so I can get rid of it with a sneeze if I need to."

Luna actually giggled for a moment before getting up and plopping on the seat again and making a few notes on her parchment. "Good to know, Harry." She silently relished in the feeling of happiness that having another person around who was willing to be there and was not imaginary gave to her. "Just make sure you don't pick it out. I'd hate to have to deal with a soulless husk, forcing me to turn evil and bend it to my wicked whims and desires." She repressed a laugh, causing her shoulders to shake as she saw him scratch a large mark on his essay as he registered her words. He was so funny.

"You should be more careful, Harry," she said innocently, her gray eyes wider than normal as she played unassuming. "Now you have to rewrite that whole paper."

Harry coughed nervously in response as an owl flew into the room from the stairs, having entered through Luna's bedroom window. It alighted itself on the table and held out the parchment on its leg to Harry, who took it slowly, unsure why the unknown owl would deliver him any mail.

_Mister Potter_

_We at Gringotts offer our deepest condolences on the loss of your godfather, the late Lord Sirius Black._

_Mr Black has left explicit instructions to us that he would like his will read one week from his passing if all parties are capable and, as the primary beneficiary, your presence is required if you wish to claim the inheritance. As such, Mr Black's will reading shall take place this coming Saturday and ten in the morning._

_Oorlog Ragnok_

Harry let the letter drop from numb fingers onto the floor while Luna scooted beside him to wrap him in a tight hug. She could feel him shake and begin to breathe heavily out of his nose with deep breaths. Almost immediately, she felt his magic begin to escape him and push against her and the papers and books on the table, all the loose items beginning to shake and fall from the table as her hair whipped about.

"You mustn't hold it in, Harry," she told him, not letting the pressure push her away from him. "Please trust me. You have to let everything out." She felt him shudder violently before his body calmed settled.

"You said we can use our wands here?" He asked hollowly. She flinched at his tone as she nodded.

"Within the fence, yes."

Without another word, Harry rose and walked out of the door in the Lovegood's kitchen towards the forest where he stopped forty feet from the fence and faced out roughly thirty yards away from him. He failed to notice his three observers, though he knew Luna was watching him from the doorway as the dust swirled around him in a swirling vortex.

He stood there, staring at the trees as tears trailed down his face for several long moments before he let his face drop and he cried freely. Seconds later, he let out a short yell and whipped out his wand quickly and sent an ice blue cloud of magic into the forest, causing an explosion that cleared an area twenty feet across and digging a hole twice as tall as he was, making Luna jump and close her eyes momentarily before opening them and keeping an eye on him again.

Shadow Walker and Moody watched with wide eyes as the trees and debris fell to the ground as Harry held his arm out steadily in front of him, still looking down. The debris and leaves were almost all settled when Harry let out another short yell and a bright beam of white light erupted from his wand nearly a foot wide and unending for several seconds, eating away at everything the beam touched and leaving extremely burned and smoking remains where everything it touched had turned to ash.

Moody swallowed thickly as he realized how much power had been behind those two attacks. While the first was not much more than a standard blasting hex, albeit overpowered, the second was pure mana, or raw magic. That attack alone would have taken all of his own magic, and then some.

Both of the hidden observers watched as Luna hesitantly approached Harry once the beam was gone and wrap her arms around him, following him down as he fell to his knees and spoke into his ear.

xXxXxXx

Dumbledore watched as Minister Fudge entered and motioned for him to follow him into his office, taking the seat he was offered as Fudge sat. "Ah, Cornelius. It is good to see you again."

"You as well, Albus. I'm afraid the public has not taken well to the knowledge of You-Know-Who's return." Cornelius Fudge straightened up some of the papers on his desk needlessly as his nerves kept him on edge. He had been receiving heated glares and hearing scathing remarks all day.

"It only makes sense that there would be a good amount of controversy after it was shown that you lied throughout all of last year and called myself and Mister Potter the liars instead," Dumbledore said, amused at the man's fearful expression.

"Don't remind me!" Fudge wailed. "Gah. What do you want, Dumbledore? I have a long day ahead of me."

Albus nodded once in agreement and decided to get right to the point. "I have come to discuss Sirius Black's will reading."

"Black?" Fudge asked in confusion. "What about him?"

"His will reading will be taking place in six days and I believe he currently has Mister Potter as his primary beneficiary. As you well know, Mister Black was never convicted of being a death eater, but merely thrown into Azkaban and I am unsure of what his plans for Harry may have been. I do not believe young Harry will be safe or able to handle whatever Sirius has in his will for him."

"I don't understand. Didn't you tell me two years ago that Black was supposed to be innocent, even though you couldn't prove it?"

Dumbledore sighed, not feeling too thrilled about tarnishing Sirius' name, but felt it was a necessary evil. "I believe he may have been innocent, yes, but cannot be entirely sure of that knowledge. As you said, I have no proof to offer. However, I would like to become Harry's guardian both to protect him from whatever Sirius may have done in his will and any problems associated with your slander and libel over the past year."

Fudge frowned in thought. "I can see what you mean, but the fact is, because he was never truly convicted, his rights as Potter's guardian trump anything we can do since his will was written while he had that authority. It will supersede anything you could do."

"True," Dumbledore agreed. "But Harry can only gain his inheritance if he is there and, as his new guardian, I could go in his place and act as his proxy to work in his best interests."

"I'll see what I can do, Dumbledore," Fudge said, seeing how it could work to his advantage if he was seen protecting The-Boy-Who-Lived. And who better to work to his best interests than the Leader of the Light, Albus Dumbledore?

"Thank you, Cornelius. That is all I can ask. Good day to you." And with that, the scheming leader of the light left the Minister's offices and headed back to the floo stations to go back to his office.

_'I do hope Alastor has good news. It will be difficult to get Harry where I need him if I cannot find him soon.'_

xXxXxXx

**Omake (not a preview of the future):**

Harry looked at his blood-covered body in shock and horror at what Hermione had just done. His hands, his robes and the entire potions classroom was covered in the bloody splatter of what used to be their potion's master, Severus Snape's, head and upper chest.

"Her-Hermione ... How could you do that?" He asked, still holding stiff and not moving. The bushy-haired one turned her head sharply to glare at him.

"You know very well I won the bet! He was mine to kill and I aimed over your shoulder, so it isn't like I was going to hit you!" She snapped testily. Harry simply shook his head as Luna walked up to the body and began to kick its leg with her toe as if testing if it were still alive, even though missing its body from the belly button and up.

"You know that isn't what I meant, love. But why did you make it so messy? You know cleaning charms don't work so well with blood, and these were my favorite robes!"

"That bastard said I had only average intelligence! _AVERAGE!_" Hermione yelled, her previous fury coming back while Luna decided to change the subject slightly. The three of them were the only living creatures in the room if Hermione got homicidal again.

"Oh, Harry. You are a man. Your oldest and most worn out robes are your favorite. The rattier the better," Luna said, looking up at him and kicking the abused leg of the dead potions master absently. Harry shuffled his feet self-consciously at her statement.

"Well," he said defensively, "they're still good and I've only just broken them in." Hermione laughed as Luna smiled and turned to the body, wondering if they would still be using it as bait to blackmail Draco in a compromising position. There was a lot less to frame the Malfoy scion with now.

"Do we still want to- HOLY HELL!" Luna and Hermione leapt back and hid behind Harry, peeking over their shared boyfriend's shoulder with wide eyes as the ghost of Snape rose from his body, looking about the room in mute shock before glaring at the teens in front of him.

"Potter!" He yelled, floating closer to the shocked trio, believing the spell that hit him had come from Harry since he had not seen Hermione. "I'll get you for this! I'll tell everyone how the Golden Boy of Gryffindor killed in cold blood and have you sent to Azkaban for thi- AHH!" Ghost Snape clutched at his face as water splashed across his vision. Luna stepped forward and flung another handful of water from the golden cup of Hufflepuff that they had obtained the day before after casting an aguamenti into it.

"THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU! THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU, BITCH!"

xXxXxXx

**[Author's Notes:] ** – That omake is in no way meant as a mockery of any religion, but meant to be taken humorously. That, and I've always wondered what may happen if she tried that in the story... I just figured this would be a safer way to put it in without any long-term affects.


	4. Visions of the Future and Past

**Title:** Darkened Paths

**Chapter4** – Visions of the Future and Past

**Ship:** H/Hr/L, Nev/Susan

**Key: **"Speech"**, **_'Thoughts'_,** "Speech laden with magic"**, §Parsletongue§

xXxXxXx

**[Author's Note:]** - This chapter marks the end of clearing up several things I needed to get done before the major plots kicked in. Next chapter will show the plot progressing quickly and lots of new things that really make this story what I want it to be now that I've fleshed out the primary characters as much as I wanted to. Also, everything brought up in this chapter DOES have reason for being there. All of the information Luna gives, the descriptions, etc. It all plays a part in the story. I'll see if you guys can guess how and why. *Happy face*

This chapter is twice as long as normal because I wanted to finally finish off the week leading into the will reading and get things rolling on the next chapter. Apologies for those who dislike long chapters.

Warning: There is a lemon in this chapter. It is not overly explicit and does have reason behind it. Also, while I will normally be sectioning any lemons off so they can be bypassed easily (as I know a few of my readers do not want to read those parts and I promised to not make them) this lemon has more important things happening during it, such as honest bonding, that I believe should be read. Skip it if you like. It will start and end as "Lemon start" and "Lemon end".

**I'm out of H/Hr/L fics to recommend! If anyone can recommend any, I'd like to be able to read and recommend them here. **

**Recommended Story of the Chapter:** "Harry Potter and the Unspeakable Time" by DrgnMstr (H/Hr/L)

**xXx Previously xXx**

_Moody swallowed thickly as he realized how much power had been behind those two attacks. While the first was not much more than a standard blasting hex, albeit overpowered, the second was pure mana, or raw magic. That attack alone would have taken all of his own magic, and then some. _

_Both of the hidden observers watched as Luna hesitantly approached Harry once the beam was gone and wrap her arms around him, following him down as he fell to his knees and spoke into his ear._

_[edit]_

_Fudge frowned in thought. "I can see what you mean, but the fact is, because he [Sirius] was never truly convicted, his rights as Potter's guardian trump anything we can do since his will was written while he had that authority. It will supersede anything you could do."_

"_True," Dumbledore agreed. "But Harry can only gain his inheritance if he is there and, as his new guardian, I could go in his place and act as his proxy to work in his best interests."_

"_I'll see what I can do, Dumbledore," Fudge said, seeing how it could work to his advantage if he was seen protecting The-Boy-Who-Lived. And who better to work to his best interests than the Leader of the Light, Albus Dumbledore?_

**xXx Story xXx**

Luna held Harry tightly as the boy cried unashamedly onto her shoulder. His arms were very tight around her chest as he held himself to her desperately, keeping her from allowing herself a full breath. But it was okay. Luna held just as tightly to Harry, holding him and comforting him now that he had finally had a chance to relieve a part of his pain and grieve as one should.

For ten minutes, Harry held onto the blonde, not caring that she probably thought poorly of him or pitied him. He did not care if she thought less of him because of this. She was holding him, and that was what he desperately wanted right then. Usually, Hermione would be beside him and have done the very same thing, and he mourned that much more at the loss of the comfort he normally pulled from the brunette. However, while they felt different in many ways; the unique way Hermione felt compared to Luna, or their scents, all the way to the soothing sounds they made into his ear, it was still something he craved at in a place deep within him.

As his sobs died down to a relatively small hiccup every few moments, Luna held him tighter and spoke gently. "Come, Harry. Let's get inside where we can be more comfortable. I'll make some soup. It will help you feel better." She did not feel it worth mentioning she would be lacing it with a mild calming draught.

"'Better'?" He asked. "Luna, he's _dead_! How is it going to feel better? He can't come back!" Harry sobbed, more out of sadness than anger as the finality of actually saying the words broke through. He wanted to be angry with the girl, but he had neither the energy to do so, or the honest desire to be so mean to her. Even in his depressed state, he could not be mean to her. "He'll never be able to come back..."

"I know," she whispered gently. "I watched my mother die, too."

Harry looked up into her eyes, which he saw had tears welled within them and trailing down her pale cheeks as she stared right back at him.

"I watched my mother die in front of me, Harry. It took her such a very long time. Such a painful, long time," Luna whispered, swallowing thickly. "I heard her ... The entire time." Luna shuddered violently in Harry's arms as she remembered the several minutes that she heard her mother's screams.

Feeling chastised and guilty that he caused Luna pain, even though he was feeling his own, Harry nodded and began to get up with Luna. As soon as they began walking back, he focused less about Luna and her mother as he sank into his own despair once again, only feeling like he had another to share in their misery together.

Luna led Harry to the couch and had him sit down and handed him a shiny ring. "Try to figure out how to take the six rings of this apart. It helps to keep you from hurting, to have something to think about," she said softly. "I'm going to make something to eat. I'll be back in a few minutes." Luna hugged him lightly for a brief moment, wishing she could do more. Silently, she walked into the kitchen to start a potato soup, something she always wished they would have at Hogwarts, almost as much as the puddings they served.

While she was leaving, Harry watched and tried to figure out why the girl would want him to work on a bloody _puzzle_ of all things when he just got a letter saying he was required to attend his just-killed godfather's will reading. Still, he looked down at the ring and looked at its shiny surface, suddenly entranced. His mind blanked as he turned the ring in his hand slowly, eying the twists and turns of the five silver rings with one gold throughout, seemingly binding all of them together.

As he stared, he willingly allowed, and was thankful for, his mind's lack of turmoil. He did not want to forget Sirius, but he also did not want to suffer anymore. He did not want to hurt and, as odd as the concept was, the ring Luna had given him allowed him to simply drift as he cried, his tears blurring the edges of the shining silver, making the entrancing object seem alive.

Minutes drifted by as he manipulated the rings around and spun them, much like attempting to find the proper amount of rotation on each ring to unlock its mysteries without him seeing Luna look at him with worried eyes every few minutes.

After a short time, Luna was finished with her preparations and stood out of Harry's sight as he mechanically spun the ring's many circles. What she had not told him was that it was a child's toy her mother had developed to get her to learn to think and feel. It was not designed to make her feel in the traditional sense, but the metaphysical and with her own magic. It had been crafted with numerous runes on the inside of each band so that you could not actually take it apart based on your vision, but by feeling the magic within the ring itself, which was powered by the ambient magical aura of the person holding it or the ambient magic surrounding it. Just being within a wizarding home was more than enough to power it constantly.

More than that, though, was that those runes also held a very mild compulsion charm embedded within them, making the person desire to play with it for longer than a mere few minutes, which was designed to keep them from giving up out of frustration, something Harry had apparently embraced on a nearly frightening degree. If it were not for the fact that she were there watching him, she would have been worried he would not have even tried to break from it later. It was not enough to hold a person against their will, but he was not fighting, letting it take a hold of him.

Her mother had made a large number of those puzzles for her inquisitive daughter, teaching Luna to sense various magics, some puzzles imitating magics of other races such as goblin, house elf, wizard and her mother's own specialty, fairy magics. Each puzzle had various difficulty levels and, truth be told, Luna had not ever managed to complete more than twenty-seven of the hundred and three her mother had crafted for her. And she had spent a very, _very_ long time attempting to do just that in the years after her mother's demise.

As Harry frowned and swatted the air by his ear, she sighed and she felt her own heart ache for the pain he was suffering. Luna knew she had her father, even if he was not exactly as coherent as he had once been during that time as she would have liked, but Harry had no one. Or at least, she knew he would feel like that. He had her, though. And Hermione. Luna knew Hermione was just as instrumental in their own survival as Luna herself. She had seen the reality of it.

xXxXxXx

Just outside of the Lovegood's wards, Moody stopped walking to turned to Shadow Walker, who had kept himself fully visible to the jumpy auror. While the goblin enjoyed pressing the human's buttons, this was most certainly not the time.

"Dumbledore learned that Potter's going to be the primary beneficiary at Black's reading," he grunted. "He doesn't want that to happen and is looking for the boy to send him off to his relatives' and probably to attend in the boy's place."

Shadow Walker raised an eyebrow at Moody as he crossed his arms, an ingrained goblin custom to show lack of hostility and a willingness to mediate. "Why are you telling me this? I know you're Dumbledore's man and would only be here under his orders."

"I do have my own mind of things," the grizzled auror snarked with a glare at the goblin. Then Moody sighed and then looked back at the house, feeling just as conflicted as he had while eating and debating in the Leaky Cauldron. "To be honest, I neither like the boy's lot in life, or Dumbledore's take on all the knowledge he has, though I do admit to not being nearly as informed as he is on the subject," he said evasively, not willing to give the goblin more information than needed. As the smaller creature said, he _was_ Dumbledore's man.

"But, the boy is going to be happier here than he will be anywhere else and I know Dumbledore will find him eventually. I may as well give the kid a chance at some kind of happiness. And a boy and girl, especially in grief, will take solace and whatever _happiness_ they can in one another, while alone in a house together."

Shadow Walker frowned as he realized the human wanted to allow the boy pleasure of the flesh before he was taken away. It was not exactly an uncommon concept to the goblin. Goblins were, in their own circles, a lot that rather enjoyed the practice, just like humans. However, the only time they felt it was a time to partake of such pleasures would normally be before battle if it was not of a brothel or married affair.

Sudden conclusions clicked in the goblin warrior's mind, causing his hackles to rise.

Imperceptibly, even to Moody and his eye, Shadow Walker shifted so he could strike out at his fastest and give the fat human less time to respond. "What do you plan to tell your leader, then?"

"I'm going to have to go to the Burrow and appear to look for him there and then another stop before reporting my lack of evidence," Moody said with a furrowed brow. "I'm not sure how long I can give 'em, or what I can actually do to help the brat, but at least I'll know I did something so that he could have a chance to be normal for a change."

Shadow Walker pondered for only a moment about telling the ex-auror that the boy had an uncanny ability to sense when he was close, just to see what the man would do, but decided against it. "Why do you feel there is nothing to do for Mister Potter? Can you not gift him with war tomes? Train him? Perhaps hide him yourself?"

"Who is there to trust?" Moody shot back. "The Ministry is as full of Death Eaters as it is with sell-outs and morons. He would learn more by himself than he would with anyone there except for some Unspeakables, but that's a one-way-in and no-way-out situation for the kid. He'd truly be enslaved there, and I'm positive there's at least one Death Eater working there. They had too much damned information during the last war and were able to break through far too many good wards," Moody snarled, paranoia kicking in.

"And yourself?" Shadow Walker asked. He did not truly care, or really want, his new charge to be with the man who has since become a fun nemesis or in any of the questions he was asking about training the boy, but he was getting a good many answers about Moody, Mister Potter and Dumbledore and his plans, if only in reference. Already, he had learned that the purity of the 'Leader of the Light' seemed to be less 'pure' than the wizards would claim and had potentially unsavory plans in mind for his charge.

And right now, those plans meant Dumbledore was an enemy.

"I'd be too missed," Moody said with a sigh, thinking of how lethal a protegé such as Potter could be and the screams the Death Eaters would release as his apprentice unleashed his wrath upon them. So much lost time and abilities! "Dumbledore has me doing too many things that can't not be done for me to train Potter as I should. And no one else could do so," he said with conviction, partly feeling he could train him far better and feeling no one else could be trusted with knowing where the boy would have been secreted away.

"And giving him books to learn from," the goblin asked, slightly unnerved by the glazed look in Moody's eye as he'd trailed off in the middle.

"Too dangerous to learn on his own. With his power, he'd be too likely to kill himself and probably a good portion of the location around him for any of the good stuff. Everything else is too pathetic and weak to worry about," the cyclops sniffed petulantly.

"And why leave him to Dumbledore's mercies," Shadow Walker asked carefully, mentally cursing as he realized Alastor was not as gabby as he had expected.

"Those are Dumbledore's plans. I don't know them, and don't really need to. He hasn't steered us wrong yet. He killed off one Dark Lord and fought the other until he was killed. He ain't a saint, but he knows what needs to be done and is working to that end." Moody spoke with such conviction that Shadow Walker knew he either truly believed it, or wanted to convince himself of it. To be the warrior he was trained to be, Shadow Walker mentally notated to think down both lines to see where they led.

"Good day," Moody grunted, spinning on his heel and apparating to the edge of the Burrow's wards. As he walked down the path, he hoped he had done the right thing with the goblin. He had gone against every fiber within him that wanted to play his cards close to his chest and give absolutely nothing to the goblin to use in protecting Potter, but the more he had, the more the kid had a chance to learn what he needed to. He had no idea why the goblins were protecting the Potter boy, but they did not just do it out of the kindness of their war-driven hearts.

Moody did not fool himself. He trusted Albus with his life, assuming the old fart did not think he needed to die for someone else, and truly believed he would fight this war with Voldemort to the best of his ability.

And that was the very thing that worried him.

Albus Dumbledore was over a hundred and fifty years old. He was still as powerful as he had ever known him to be, though he tired faster. Just like anyone suffering from the ravages of time, he had to get up to use the loo more often at night, chew his food more carefully and move a little more slowly throughout the day.

He had also been fooled by an impostor for nearly a full year by a man who had previously been in Azkaban for twelve years and was already stark raving mad. Dumbledore had allowed a possessed teacher into his school, a polyjuiced fake of one of his best friends, a woman who literally _tortured_ the students and even worse, the _Ministry_ of all things as well! They had learned Black was innocent, but Dumbledore had not demanded a trial, even when there was the chance of getting more names of Voldemort's forces.

The Headmaster seemed as powerful and able as he had ever been, but truth be told, Alastor Moody was worried for his friend. He doubted that Dumbledore was truly becoming what all of those who aged feared, as everything Dumbledore had slipped up on had had a good cause for, but Moody had to admit, even he had begun to have that little bit of hero worship in him that made him believe Albus Dumbledore should not have been able to be so easily tricked in so many ways and so often.

It hurt to think that Albus had not been able to recognize it had not truly been him.

And that was why he decided that it was time. It was time for the old dogs to look at the younger and, dare he admit, tougher, breed coming up behind them and guide them the way. Moody used his experiences and knowledge throughout his long life and made that painful decision to finally allow his legend to begin to fade.

Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, was now in a fate of his making. No matter that he had been pathetically lazy in his school years, only stepping forward when his life was threatened. He had taken those times when he finally took the initiative and performed in ways that Moody had to admit, he was envious of. Whether it was dementors, the Tri-Wizard Tournament or the knowledge during the previous school year that he either had to step up and focus or likely be killed, he advanced at rates and with leaps in his power that Moody admitted made him make his decision.

Harry Potter would be the leader in this war.

Dumbledore could fight and have control over his Order, but in one night, Potter had done more than an entire year of a large group of witches and wizards who already knew how to fight in a war. And it was embarrassing. In their age and self-importance, they ignored how ineffectual that they had truly become.

"Alastor!" Molly Weasley exclaimed as she opened her door to him without even checking to see who it was, he idly noticed. "Come in! What are you doing here?" She bustled around him like a tornado and herded the man into the kitchen before he could even protest. "Would you like some tea?"

"Not right now, thanks," he said through clenched teeth. He hated being coddled. And she could just shove that napkin in her hand up her bloody-!

"If you insist," she said, turning around and placing the napkin he had just been glaring at on the table as she sat. "What can I do for you?"

"Just a few things, Molly," he said in a false calm. "We just wanted to let you know that Voldemort is outed, as I'm sure you know. It's possible that he or some of his ilk will come this way at some point," he ignored her paling face and continued. None of this had actually been brought up, but certain bases must be covered. "Make sure the kids don't go too far from the Burrow, understand? And possibly never alone if it can be managed."

Molly swallowed and looked about nervously. "Yes, of course. Do you not believe the wards we have here will do their jobs properly?"

"They should," he admitted. "But remember that what you have is mostly basic alarm wards and the standard anti-apparition and portkey wards. Those are common enough that they can be shattered in roughly a minute and without the usual fanfare if done slowly," he refused to feel guilt as the woman began to sweat. It would not do to have Ginny or Ron to visit the Lovegood home during this summer for as long as he could manage it.

"I suppose you're right."

Moody nodded. "Other than that, you could always go to Headquarters whenever you feel the need. Remember, 'Constant Vigilance'."

Molly nodded absentmindedly, thinking out loud to herself. "I suppose it's for the best Harry stay at the Dursleys' for now... Everything will be fine once the school year starts, I suppose..."

Moody got up and hobbled back over to the door as Molly continued to mumble to herself about everything turning out okay and not needing to worry. Just before he left the kitchen, he decided to offer some form of consoling remark. "Don't worry yourself over nothing, Molly. Everyone will remain as safe as they can be for the summer and then they'll all be safe in Hogwarts with Albus."

Molly looked at him with a smile and nodded. "Yes. Yes, everything will be okay. We just have to have patience."

Minutes after Moody had left, Ron walked quickly into the kitchen and tossed a parchment in front of his mother. "Sirius left me somethin' in his will, Mum! What do you think it is?"

xXxXxXx

Alastor sighed as he stepped into Albus's office, noting that the man had not been back since his abrupt departure nearly two hours previous. Fawkes trilled happily at him before tucking his head under a wing and going back to sleep.

The old auror clonked over to the desk and wrote out a quick letter to Dumbledore, not willing to stick around and talk to the old man. This would give him more time to figure out what he was actually doing. He knew he was doing the right thing, or as right as he could be, but it still made him feel sick to his stomach.

He had written Dumbledore's name when the fireplace flared green and the man in question stepped out of the flames regally, quirking an amused eyebrow at the wand pointed at him by the paranoid friend. "You know very well that I'm the only one permitted to use this floo beyond Minerva without someone being present here to open it, Alastor. Now, what did you find out?"

Alastor crushed the parchment in his hand and tossed it into a waste basket as he took the seat he had shared earlier, upset that Dumbledore showed up and that he still had not been able to get any pain relieving potion. "The boy wasn't at Granger's, Headquarters or the Burrow."

Albus flinched. "Has Molly heard anything?"

"No. She seems to be worried that things are going to get bad before the kids can come back next year. I told her she should keep her children close to the Burrow and to head to Headquarters if anything feels shady," Moody said.

"Oh? Why did you not tell her we are searching for Harry? We could use an extra set of ears in case he tries to contact anyone there," Dumbledore said, curious about Alastor's odd lack of attention to the basics.

Moody leaned back and looked at Dumbledore as though he were absolutely mad. "Do you _really_ want that harpy screeching about how we botched up caring for the kid? You know as well as I do that she has a weird fixation on the boy, always going on about being family and her own bloody son."

Dumbledore sighed and nodded. It was true. The woman had apparently grown attached to Harry. It was a chore just to let her step down from her attempts at getting him to her own home and stuffing the boy silly with food so Harry could spend the minimum amount of time needed to recharge the wards. The woman had truly taken the boy under her wing, and it frustrated many to no end. "I see your point. Perhaps I should be thanking you, instead."

"Damn right you should," Moody grunted out and snorted. "Did you get everything you needed done at the Ministry taken care of?"

"Started, at least, yes. We cannot be sure what Sirius has done with his will, so I am afraid I cannot permit Mister Potter to show. I need to find him before this Saturday if I am to go as his proxy and protect him from whatever Sirius thought to interfere in," Dumbledore told his old friend solemnly.

"Interfere in what, exactly?" Moody asked, wondering what Dumbledore was talking about. Damn the old man for his occlumency!

"I have thought long and hard about the things that must be done to win this war, my friend," Dumbledore said with a weary sigh. "I have looked at all of the needs within this war and I know what must be done. We all must make terrible decisions when we are needed to, and I have come to the only conclusion I could."

Moody nodded, knowing this to be the case. The problem, however, was that it was against the exact things he had previously decided on, that Harry Potter must lead the war. He could not do that while controlled and ignorant of both his own destiny and the means by which he needs to accomplish it. Worse, however, was that the boy was still so young and had so little experience. Dumbledore had over a century of wartime experience to draw from. And yet, the boy had done a phenomenal job to that point with the information he had, which would have probably been better if Dumbledore had actually let the boy into the loop. So many contradictory situations! More thought was needed.

"Should it not be Sirius's prerogative, as the boy's legal guardian and godfather, to make the decisions needed in his life? Shouldn't Potter make his own decisions, or at least be informed of his options?" Moody matched Albus's stare for several silent moments as they tried to gauge each others' reactions. Both were aware that they now did not see eye to eye on this particular subject.

"In most situations, I would say yes. But you know as well as I do that Sirius was a rebel at heart and, as much as I am loathe to admit it, he and I were often at odds when it came to Harry's destiny. So much so that I had to keep his knowledge of many matters as little as possible. He was well aware of this and I fear he may have done something that will make it difficult for Harry to fulfill his destiny."

Dumbledore sagged in his chair and slacked his face as he sighed heavily, looking at Moody through weary eyes. "Do you no longer trust my judgement, old friend? Do you fear I am doing the wrong thing in the war against Voldemort?"

Moody shook his head negatively and looked to his foot dejectedly. "No, Albus. I trust you. I just want to know you feel you're doing what you must."

"I fully understand, Alastor," Dumbledore said as he laced his fingers together on his desk. "As agents of the Light, we will not like all decisions we are forced to make. Alas, Harry's eventual sacrifice will provide the catalyst necessary so that another may kill Voldemort. The prophecy was quite clear in this regard."

"I know what you told me about your decoding the bloody thing, but that doesn't mean I like it." Moody got up with another grunt and gave a nod of farewell as he floo'd away.

Dumbledore leaned back and pondered Alastor's words, wondering if the man's trust would remain as it had been or if he would lose his faith in him. Moody was the type to receive an order and initiate it, no questions asked. Now, however, he was most certainly not doing that. He was asking questions and almost accusing.

The aging headmaster sighed once again as he began to alter his plans accordingly. He could trust Moody, but he would have to remember what to tell him and what to keep secret.

xXxXxXx

"So, this man Sirius, Harry's godfather, was very wealthy and has left you something in his will?" Emma Granger asked her daughter as they sat together on the couch in their living room. She had heard of the man, of course, and knew a little about him, but had not known how close Hermione and he had been.

"Yes," Hermione nodded. "He most likely left most of his holdings with Harry, but he was just about the last of a very long line of his family. He's got a rather huge library," she mumbled, looking quite sheepish.

Dan set his coffee down and placed his hands behinds his head as he spoke, "so, he plans to give you something, possibly books, and you are worried about your friend Harry and how he's taking it all, right?" He asked, causing his daughter to nod.

"Sirius was the closest thing to family he considered having. His relatives are truly horrible and Sirius was basically the one thing he had that he really felt was his own," she told them. While Harry had not said these types of things out right, she knew him well enough, and could read him better than anyone, to know that those were his very thoughts.

Emma sighed and wondered how many new people her daughter was meeting, taking her further and further away from them. "And the will reading is this Saturday?"

"Yes. Saturday morning at ten," Hermione confirmed, looking at the letter. Remembering her plan with Luna, Hermione frowned and looked at her parents. "A friend, Luna, told me that this would be happening quickly, and offered to let me stay at her home the night before I go so I can go straight from her home. Would it be okay if I stayed with her for the weekend before going to the reading?"

"It should be okay," Dan said slowly, eying his wife who he knew was a little ... upset ... about how little time Hermione had been spending with them. They had been happy for the trade-off when it had meant spending time with new friends, which had been nonexistent before her time in Hogwarts. And now Emma was most definitely having doubts.

Emma saw both members of her family looking at her and waiting for her answer and decided she would have to remain with her original decision and let Hermione do as she willed and not try and keep her from friends or the new world she was in. And damn if it did not hurt. "Do you plan on coming back afterwards?" She asked hopefully. Every time Hermione had left before, it was without coming back until after the next school year.

"Of course!" Hermione said, shocked. "It's only going to be the one night. I may have to stay a little longer to take care of any matters pertaining to Sirius's will, but I've only been here for a day!"

Emma smiled to herself, pleased to see Hermione was not willing to totally forget them, which was something she had been convincing herself more and more recently. "Then I don't see any reason you can't go. Just be sure to let us know how long you'll be gone, alright?"

"I will, Mum. I promise," Hermione said as she got up from the couch and walked up the stairs to her room, looking over the letter once again and rereading it, even if she had already committed it to memory.

As soon as she was gone, Dan moved over to his wife, who was still staring at the top of the stairs where she had disappeared. "What's on your mind, love," he asked, rubbing the small of her back.

Emma sniffled slightly and leaned back against him. "She's leaving us again," she said morosely. "She said she would come back, but she's leaving us again. She didn't even see if one of us could go with her to handle her affairs or to help her with them, even though she's still a minor."

Dan hugged her in his arms and rested his chin on her shoulder. "It isn't like she won't be coming back, Emma. We saw the letter and it doesn't say she's allowed to bring anyone and we didn't offer. We may not even be allowed since we can't use magic and weren't in his will," he said soothingly. "And besides, it isn't like she is leaving us to stay somewhere with her friends instead of us. A man died, honey. She's just going to this thing like anyone else would. It'll be alright."

Emma nodded against his shoulder, her tears seeping through his shirt. "I just want to be in my baby's life, Dan," she whispered. "I know we want her to be independent and strong and maintain a good relationship with her friends, but I want to know my baby still needs and wants me around."

Dan breathed deeply as his wife spoke her needs to him, feeling much the same. Simply put, both were worried about Hermione's spending less and less time with them during the summers and her letters coming home only when big things happened or every once in a while. It really felt like they were drifting apart, even though the love was still there. They had learned that they would be unable to have more children after Hermione was born. It was too difficult on Emma's body and doing so again would most likely kill her, and they had both had dreams of a larger family. Being given one child and having that child leave more and more often was taking its toll on them both.

"Hermione still needs us, Emma," he soothed, running his hands over her hair slowly. "We're always going to be her parents. We're always going to be there for her. Just like we agreed yesterday."

Emma nodded and got up after a few seconds, silently entering the kitchen and beginning lunch without another word.

Dan tilted his head back and ran both hands through his hair, wondering if he believed what he was telling his wife. Yes, he knew there was still love and that Hermione wanted them around, but she was at an age where she would rather be with friends than parents. Then, take into account that she already spent so little time with them a year, it was hard to see her willing to leave after only a month or month and a half. Emma already hated the idea of sending Hermione off to a boarding school, whether Brighton or Hogwarts, and this was only worse. It was a totally new world that they simply had no place in.

Hearing a pan clang against the stove a little harder than normal, though he silently wondered how he realized such a small detail, Dan got up and went to help his wife, deciding to simply be beside her though this new torment. It would all work out in the end, he was sure of it.

xXxXxXx

Harry frowned and swatted at his ear harshly, trying to rid whatever bug was causing such a horrible buzzing. It was like a rush of noise that was just outside of his ability to understand the source, but knew that whatever it was, was probably only inches from his bloody ear and it was pulling him from the sweet hollowness the ring Luna had given him was providing.

By this point, he was unsure just how long he had sat there, twisting bits of the rings around. All he had managed to figure out that it was obviously magical, as there was no apparent way to disconnect the interconnecting rings.

And it vibrated to his touch, though he knew there was no movement from the ring itself aside from what he made it do. And that was the part that stuck with him, sitting on the outside of his vague awareness of anything but the ring.

"Harry," Luna called softly from the kitchen as she walked in towards him. "I have the soup done. Do you want some for lunch?" She watched him slowly look up from the ring with a dull and empty look in his eyes before he blinked it away and shook his head to clear it.

"What? Er, yes. That'd be nice," he said, looking at the ring suspiciously before laying it down and pulling his hand away, almost as if wondering if it would follow him into the other room. Luna smiled and grabbed his hand, leading him into the kitchen where she had a table already set up and filled with two bowls of her soup.

"It's potato soup with cheese and sausage. It's still a touch runny, but will thicken as it sits," she said, seeing him eye the concoction curiously. She had to admit that with her ... eccentricities, he probably had a right to wonder if it was what it looked like, but decided to quell any worries he may have now.

Once seated, Harry immediately took a bite and widened his eyes comically as he looked at her. "Luna, this is fantastic!" He told her, taking another bite. After the day before, he had not been sure what kind of culinary skills the blonde possessed, but had to admit, this was an incredible dish. It may have been his appreciation of all things cheese, though.

"Thank you," she demurred, smiling brightly. She handed him a chunk of bread and watched as he scarfed down the bowl, taking a helping of seconds. After his first few bites, the potion had taken effect and had made him a bit silent, which she had expected, and certainly seemed to have calmed him down. She was glad she always kept a handy supply of the calming draught on hand for when her father sunk into one of his despairing moods after the loss of her mother. He tried to keep a brave face up for her, but she had watched over him like a hawk after that and knew when he had fallen, though both had the kindness to not bring it up. She had her moments as well, after all.

Not long after he had eaten his fill and she had helped him to the couch and sat him down as he took to staring into a speck of dust in the air, Xenophilius floo'd through the fireplace, his hair askew and looking as ruffled as he had the night before. He took a look at Harry before Luna called him into the kitchen to have some of the soup, sitting him down in Harry's vacated spot.

"Is everything okay, sweety? Your puppy looks like you just kicked him," he said, ladling himself out a portion of soup.

Luna shook her head and looked at Harry through worried eyes from her spot in the chair. "No, Daddy. His godfather was killed two nights ago and he just got the summons to attend the will reading."

Xenophilius was not an ignorant man. For all of his oddities and talks about creatures he had never seen, it was not out of a deep-seated belief in them. It was actually a belief in his wife, who had started _The Quibbler_ and all its fantastical stories. He had just picked up the reigns after she had passed on, not wanting to let a part of her die that he could truly save. The quality had certainly degraded and the conspiracy theories had become more outlandish, but it was the thought that counted; which is what seemed to scare most of the readers.

He knew that will readings, particularly for the elite families, tended to take a month or so to actually get everything in order and the right parties notified. To have done so two days after the man's death was not only going to be a severe breach of protocol and tradition, but painful to anyone who was close to the man. And Luna had explained a good deal of what she knew to him over the past few years. Even if she was not in the thick of it, she was able to see and hear quite a bit.

"I see," he said gruffly. "Well, he _was_ kicked then, just by Gringotts, not you."

Luna simply nodded her agreement as she looked at her father. "The reading will be Saturday at ten. Harry was listed as Sirius's primary beneficiary. He will most likely need help regarding some of the pureblooded laws and he will most certainly need emotional support, so I'd like to see if he will let me accompany him on that day, if that's okay?"

Xenophilius looked at his daughter through sharp eyes, laying aside his adopted quirkiness for the seriousness of the situation. She should have known she would not normally be allowed with the boy, unless there were a reason she _needed_ to go or she was specifically invited by the primary beneficiary. "You've got something planned," he stated, more than asked.

Luna nodded again, looking down at her fingers that were interlaced on the tabletop. "I ... I do, yes. Or at least, I think I do. I will need Hermione, who should be coming by Friday night or Saturday morning, I would imagine, to help me. I'm not sure I am accurate and she has more knowledge over certain aspects..." she said, trailing off so she would not be forced to admit more.

Xenophilius sighed and sat back in his chair, silent for several moments before he looked at his daughter's mostly neutral face. She was his daughter. He could see the hope reflected in her eyes. "Did you," he looked away nervously before looking at her again, steeling himself. "Did you _See_ this? Or is this something else?"

Luna frowned in thought, trying to determine how to answer. "I still cannot See the future, Daddy. But, I Saw ... I Saw enough to know I can probably do this," she finally admitted. Her actual abilities were something that was, as of yet, unknown to the wizarding world, though there had been theories about what she could do. Tests for Seers were so extensive and, quite frankly, torturous, that neither ever really brought it up unless it was due to a serious problem.

Xenophilius sighed and shuddered for a moment, saddened at what he was hearing. He hated for his daughter to See the things she Saw. Just before the school year had begun, she had awoken him from his sleep with her wails as she Saw another reality. Another future. One where she had stopped being as close with the others as she had been this year, in her vision. She had been captured by a group called 'Snatchers' and ... Well, he was not really able to get what happened out of her, but he could certainly guess. Whatever the case, she had forced him to promise to never give up Harry Potter, Hermione Granger or Ron Weasley if they ever came about, asking for help for anything.

"What did you See? Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked, not wanting to let her do everything on her own.

Luna smiled serenely at her father and shook her head slowly, staring off and up into a corner of the kitchen, knowing he knew she was seeing another rift. "No Daddy, there isn't. I'm sorry," she said, looking back at him as the rift closed. "I saw Mum," she said quietly, "and she was telling me about the Lovegood Grimiore. The one with her family's spells in it."

Xenophilius's eyes widened comically and he flinched backwards. The spells in that book were the type that would cause Death Eaters to come after them, just for rumors! "You're going to give him the Grimiore!" He asked incredulously, though managing to keep his voice quiet enough Harry would not hear.

Luna shook her head negatively. "No, not exactly," she said, confusing her father.

"I don't understand, honey. What did you See from that that could help you out with this?"

Luna sighed and looked over at Harry, resolving once again that what she was doing was worth the chance it could all go horribly wrong. "I'm going to release our hold on a particular spell so I can get Hermione's help to see how we can alter it to fit our needs. Or more specifically, I'm going to have her check my alterations."

Xenophilius choked back a sob as he reached over and grabbed Luna's hands. "Honey, if you do that-"

"I know, Daddy," Luna said, interrupting him. "There won't be any turning back, I know."

Xenophilius cried as he realized his daughter was already set on her path. It was one thing he had learned a very long time ago. If she made a decision based on anything she Saw, she would never alter her course. He trusted in his daughter to make the right decisions in life and to be a true and kind person. There comes a time in any parent's life where you just have to sit back and watch, hoping you raised them smart, well and simply right.

He just hoped this was one of those times.

xXxXxXx

Harry was drifting in a peaceful emptiness as his hands twisted the ring around, once again. He vaguely remembered Xenophilius arriving by floo before his eyes had fallen to the ring and he wound up getting caught in its spell again. A part of him knew he should mourn Sirius and not ignore the situation, but he simply did not want to do so. It hurt, and ignoring the situation could make it not hurt for just that much time.

"Harry," Luna called from beside him on the couch, causing Harry to look at her and blink again, just as he had previously.

"Luna? I'm sorry, is there something I can help you with?" He asked, unsure of how the girl had managed to get beside him when she had just been in the kitchen.

Luna placed her hand on Harry's forearm and spoke gently, "I asked if you were ready for bed."

Harry looked out the window and noticed it was already dark out. His eyes widened as realization of just how tired he was washed over him. "Er, what time is it?"

"A quarter past ten. You've been working on the puzzle ring since about one."

Harry sighed and nodded. "Yea, I'm ready. Just let me get something to drink. My throat is killing me."

Luna nodded and followed him into the kitchen and stopped at the entryway, where she leaned against the wall. "I tried to get your attention for dinner, but you didn't seem to want to leave the ring. If you're still hungry, there's plenty of soup in the chill chest. It's only a quick heating charm from being hot again."

Harry smiled wanly at the blonde and shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm not hungry. I ate a lot during lunch, I think."

Luna nodded, knowing the potion she had slipped him had probably let the ring keep his attention more strongly, which was probably what had kept him from hearing her try and get his attention. After watching Harry down three full glasses of water, the two walked up the stairs and Harry got dressed in his bedclothes while Luna stepped into the restroom with her own to change.

Harry was just getting under the covers when Luna walked in wearing a skintight, one piece body suit that younger children used to wear with a flap on the bum held up with two large buttons and a tie that cinched under her chin. Harry practically fell into his bed face first in shock. Quickly averting his eyes from places he knew would get him hexed, he crawled under the covers and faced away from Luna's bed, lest he be tempted. He was still trying to figure out how he had been allowed to stay in Luna's bedroom during the nights when her father had figured out he was staying over the summer.

"Good night, Harry."

"G'night, Luna. Sleep well," Harry replied, making the girl smile into her pillow. She still loved hearing such simple comments and did not think she would ever get tired of them. She always told her mother good night, but she never responded.

xXxXxXx

Hermione sat back and looked at her ceiling with a sigh. In two days of rigorous theories and weighing the options, she finally made her decision. Well, to be honest, she finally admitted to having made her decision. Basically from the beginning, she did not really believe Harry would choose her over Luna. Simply put, the blonde had all of the qualities that teenaged boys looked for in a girl; She was pretty, she had a nice form, her breasts, while not large in general, certainly showed on her frame, more so than her own, she was saddened to admit.

The bushy-haired brunette frowned as she considered her previous thoughts. Harry had already proven with Cho that he was not so focused on looks that he ignored her. Cho was just about gorgeous and Hermione had to admit, Luna had been right. He had chosen her over the Asian girl almost as soon as Hermione was done speaking.

She was letting herself get sidetracked with unneeded thoughts again. She made her decision. She would take Luna on her offer and see what came of it. She would have to speak to the odd Ravenclaw to make sure that they both realized it would end up being Harry's choice to go along with it, or choose one of them, and then she wanted to make sure that they would remain friends no matter how everything went. Hermione could admit that she enjoyed Luna's company. The girl had an odd air about her that just made things easier to deal with and speak about. Even Harry had spoken about everything with Dumbledore two nights previous, even if he had taken her there to tell her to begin with. Luna had been able to keep him entertained the next morning, as well.

Hermione still felt a blush when she realized exactly _how_ the blond Ravenclaw had done so, but had to admit, it was effective.

And the girl had done more than Hermione herself had. Hermione was somewhat ashamed to admit that she had not considered taking Harry away from the Dursleys. She had not known about the blood protections that Harry had told them about, but he and Luna both had made yet another point; Those protections did not seem to work if the Dursleys were able to starve him and work him half to death. And she knew Dudley beat him up occasionally from the little slips Harry had let through over the years. She also assumed he was unable to protect himself properly for fear of retaliation.

_'Not any more, though,'_ Hermione thought with a look of determination on her face. _'He has both Luna and myself. It may be weird, but I'm willing to share him to have and protect him. He deserves no less, and a whole lot more,'_ she thought.

She knew she owed Harry a life debt from her first year. He liked to say that she saved his life on several occasions and, while she did contribute to doing so, she had not actually gone to the same lengths as he had. The closest would have been calling Remus Lupin from him during their third year, but his older self had been right there with her, only endangering him again.

Hermione did not think that accepting Luna's deal would in any way pay off her life debt to him, and doubted he would even acknowledge she owed one, but McGonagall had told her about it in passing as a remark on her pride in Harry. Hermione got curious and looked the term up. She owed Harry a life debt that he could call in for literally anything he wanted, be it to pass the salt shaker or to become his complete and total slave in all ways he could think of and her own magic would compel her to do so.

No, the reason she could tie the two subjects together was because she realized Luna also owed him a life debt. Probably every single member of the student body and faculty owed him that life debt, to be honest. That basilisk was a viable threat to every single person in that school except for possibly the Headmaster. She believed he was the only one who had the power, or the knowledge, to possibly survive that encounter directly. That would be something to look in to. It could solve a lot of problems they may have in the future.

All said and done, Hermione was willing to share Harry. If Luna was to be believed, which was certainly something she was willing to do after the odd circumstances that surrounded the girl for nearly everything about her the previous year, between knowing how to speak to Harry as only Hermione had been able to do before that or her impeccable timing of being where she was needed and when, then it was for his sake as much as anything else. That it would, in fact, be necessary for him to survive.

Hermione would not like it, but she would share him with all the girls in Slytherin if it meant keeping him safe. She had decided she would always be with him, always help him and protect him from anything she could. She had made the decision to do so before even learning about the life debt. As a debt of her own honor, she wanted to be with him, always, to save him from everything and to help him in any manner he needed, from homework to girls, she had promised herself to always do anything he had asked of her. Having another girl in the relationship would just be like having a sister. She had always wanted a sister, and she would prefer Luna to Ginny. Luna made too much sense about Ginny's actions and had already proven she loved Harry.

_'Everything will be okay,'_ she thought to herself. _'Oh please. Let everything be okay and let this be the right choice,'_ she thought desperately, looking out into the night sky, thick with clouds.

xXxXxXx

_Harry stood alone as he gazed into the rippling black cloth that made the Veil of Death. He could hear the voices within speaking once again, their voices indiscernible from each other and nothing more than a large cacophony of noise that rushed by him, almost painful to hear instead of the alluring whispers and encouraging calls for him to join them._

_The room within the Department of Mysteries was scarred and partially destroyed, even though the firefight that had taken place only days before had never marked it so badly. Somehow, Harry knew that it was not a reflection of the room as it was, but the spirit of the place as a whole, knowing other rooms would be worse, showing the signs of the horrors that had taken place within those walls._

"_I don't understand," Harry said into the veil, trying to make sense of the words. He could feel they were trying to communicate with him. For several minutes, he attempted to listen, hearing everything at once and understanding nothing._

_As the minutes passed, Harry stood there with one ear cocked to the veil and hearing nothing. The noise simply grew louder as he gave it his attention. None of the voices were louder than others and he found himself unable to determine anything about any of them, aside from knowing what they were._

_Looking at the veil, he sighed and reached a hand up, careful not to touch the fabric separating him from ... wherever the other side was. "Sirius ..." he whispered, hoping to call the man's voice to him, wanting to hear him._

_Immediately, the scene was replaced with the events he remembered from that night, and he stood at the door, watching his godfather fall through the veil with muted shocked across his face. Harry was unable to pull his eyes away as the remnants of the previous dream left his mind and he reached out for his godfather, just as he had that night. Then the scene began to replay itself, occasionally allowing Sirius to try and crawl out of the veil once again, calling for Harry to help him._

Luna opened her eyes slowly and blinked as she heard muffled moaning coming from several feet from her bed. Looking over, she saw Harry once again having a nightmare, his right arm up and grasping at the air as he cried in his sleep, mumbling his godfather's name and apologizing repeatedly.

Frowning in worry, Luna got out of bed and padded over to Harry, grabbing his hand in hers and wrapping him in a hug. She whispered soothing comments and sounds into his ear as he began to quiet down and press himself into her, seeking comfort and warmth. Luna released his hand as he made to wrap her in a hug and shook within her arms as he settled down, only the occasional whimper coming out.

After several moments of holding him close, she looked over at her dresser, two feet away from Harry and grabbed a vial out of the bottom drawer, a calming draught she always kept on hand for herself when she was plagued with nightmares; be they ones her mind inflicted upon her or the kind that she was 'gifted' with by her magic.

Uncorking the vial, she stuck her finger in and got a bit of the potion on the tip of her finger and then pressed it onto Harry's lips. He reacted naturally and licked the excess moisture from his lips, an unconscious gesture that all people did. She made sure to repeat the process twice more before corking the potion back up and placing it back in her drawer and then working the blanket to cover both of them without breaking the hug she was in with Harry. The boy had a death grip on her.

Above them, sitting on his haunches on the shelf on the wall farthest from the stairs, Shadow Walker nodded in mild appreciation as the girl snuggled up against Mister Potter and closed her eyes. He had already searched the house for potions after seeing her slip one into the bowl of his soup and found that she had nothing even close to a love, lust or controlling potion. Everything was related to healing and comfort potions, such as calming draughts, dreamless sleep potions, headache relief potions and the like. So he knew what she was administering was nothing harmful.

He was, actually, impressed that the girl knew calming draughts helped those with nightmares. Since the nightmares still existed, most of wizard kind seemed to believe they did nothing to help, but they did help the person cope with them. It was just not nearly as effective for them as dreamless sleep potions. The problem, however, was dreamless sleep kept the person from dreaming, which left the mind unable to use the dreaming world to cope with issues that come up. What she was doing was better for him than a dreamless sleep potion, and it surprised him that she knew.

Shadow Walker found himself confused by the girl. She had seemed like a normal witch at one point, and at another, something totally different. He had no clue what was causing her to act as she was. He tried to feel her mind once, but found that she was impossible to read aside from surface emotions. No thoughts were readable from the girl. There were no occlumency barriers, so it was not anything of that nature, but she had some form of natural defense, which intrigued the goblin.

After eavesdropping in on the conversation with her and her father, he understood, at least in part. The girl was some form of Seer. With the horrible things the wizards had learned to do to test for those gifts, and the even worse things Seers were subjected to once confirmed, he knew why they tried to hide it. Not even counting the fear of possible abuse to catch her for someone's personal gain.

The thing that he was unable to truly figure out, though, was what kind of Seer she was. She stated she could not see the future, but she saw 'a future' where she had seen her mother. That suggested several possibilities, many of which were truly awe-inspiring and even more frightening. It would either have to be a possible future, based on different paths something could take, which was not, or _should _not, be possible since her mother was already dead and any actions that could have altered it well in the past, or she could see other realities. Or possibly, remembering a vision she had seen in the past.

Whatever it was, such an ability could potentially be more destructive than even a normal Seer, and he would have to be very careful to explain just what he feared to his king. The goblins, as a general rule, adored war and battle and the honor associated with battling properly, never truly feeling complete without the feel of fresh blood covering them after a righteous fight, but even they would not hurt unnecessarily. They slaughtered their enemies, even if they had to make those enemies first, but they respected magical abilities.

Wizard kind always hated anything they could neither control nor regulate. In the past several thousand years, they had provided ample reason to go to war to sate the goblins' thirst for war and blood. The human race was just as violent as the goblin, only indiscriminately so.

Unconsciously, Shadow Walker decided the blonde would be protected just as well as Mister Potter.

xXxXxXx

Harry awoke the next day to find Luna's entire body against his own, her right arm and leg laying over his body in an attempt to garner more warmth from his body as she laid on his right arm, cuddled against him. She had a peaceful expression on her face as she slept, a very light burbling sound as she exhaled, sounding much like a gentle snore.

He blinked owlishly, trying to figure out how she had managed to get beside him. He was usually a very light sleeper, always needing to be aware of the tiniest sounds to indicate the Dursleys had awakened before he did or for similar dangers while at Hogwarts.

Luna moaned in her sleep and snuggled into Harry gently, making him aware that his hand was resting and cupping a soft mound on her chest. With a terrified squawk, he straightened his arm quickly, making Luna shift as his arm became uncomfortable and took the moment of movement to pull his arm from under her and swiftly get out of the bed.

Assuming she got beside him in thanks to another nightmare that he just did not remember, he gathered his day clothes as quickly as possible and went into the loo to take a very, very cold shower.

Once the remnant of his awakening was gone, he turned on the heat and sighed in relief. Somehow, he expected Luna to know his hands had roamed and only calmed afterwards. He began to shower, wondering why the water seemed so much louder than it had the morning before as he lathered his hair. As he put his head under the water to rinse it, the noise of the shower curtain opening and closing was drowned out.

Harry turned and began letting the water rinse off his back as he finished rinsing his hair and, once he opened his eyes, he flew backwards into the wall with a startled yelp as he saw Luna standing in front of him once again, naked and holding a scrubbing brush.

"Good morning, Harry. Wash your back?" Luna blinked in wonderment as she watched Harry flee in front of her. "I wonder why he's so shy," she mumbled to herself, watching his bum as he went and wondering if the urge to bite the wet cheeks was normal.

xXxXxXx

"Hermione, hurry up! Breakfast is getting cold!" Emma yelled up the stairs to her daughter, who had been gathering her clothes and washing things into an overnight bag for her stay with her friend, Luna. Emma had not been happy about it, but she suggested she take enough for a week's stay, plus a black dress for the reading. It was not anything formal, but they got it for her three days ago so she could show the proper etiquette.

The girl had been packing for half an hour and she had picked out what she was taking the night before.

Emma popped Hermione's eggs into the microwave for a few seconds to heat as Hermione called she was on her way down and sat by Dan, both taking a moment to squeeze each other's hands in support just before Hermione came through and grabbed her plate from the microwave as Emma pointed it out.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she began to eat, causing Emma to nod.

"You said you're taking a magical bus to your friend's house?" Dan asked, wanting to be sure his daughter would be safe. There were a lot of unscrupulous people on buses these days.

"Yes. She said it would only take a few minutes to go from here to there. Something like five minutes from Platform Nine and Three Quarters to there, so it shouldn't be too long to make it there," she told them, still making sure to be careful not to mention that Harry would be there. She did not really think they would worry about it, but decided it was better not to risk upsetting them any more than they already were. She had noticed her parents, her mother in particular, seemed somewhat upset about something the past week and decided she would ask what it was about when she got back.

"Will you be calling us to let us know you arrived safely? And to give us an update tomorrow?" Emma asked.

"I can't phone, I'm afraid. She won't have a telephone to use, but I can send a letter."

Emma nodded happily; or as happily as she could, at least. "While I'm pleased to know that letter writing isn't a lost art, I do wish those magical people would think to use something a little faster," she mumbled, mostly to herself.

"I know what you mean," Hermione said with a scowl. "They're nearly a century behind us in technology. I'm hoping to to figure out a way to integrate the two in a few years so everything will work properly with each other. It's absolutely dreadful how they think muggles are so behind them, when we can do many things they can, and many they can't," Hermione said, sounding as if it were a sacrilege.

Emma smiled brightly as she noticed the several key words and phrases that Hermione had used to emphasize they're worlds were not exclusive and that she thought of the muggle world as her own, still. Just as much as the wizarding one. "I have no doubts you can't pull it off, honey," she said pleasantly and with more than a hint of pride in her voice, causing the bushy-haired one to blush lightly.

"Yes, well. It will have to wait until I'm out of Hogwarts, but I hope to have it worked out sooner or later."

"Preferably sooner," Dan quipped.

Hermione smiled and they lapsed into a comfortable silence as she finished her late breakfast.

xXxXxXx

Luna opened the door just in time to hear as the Knight Bus popped out of existence and waited to see Hermione come through the tree line after only a few seconds. She had become somewhat worried about the girl waiting so long to show up. She knew she had to have Hermione wait so long so she would be able to have the time alone with Harry to get him to think about her as romantically as possible in such a short amount of time without coming on too strongly, but it had been a difficult time to do so without showing too much to her father. He could understand if she did it a bit, as she was at the proper age to want boys to notice her, but he was still a dad, and they frowned upon that sort of thing.

"How is he," Hermione asked first thing as she came up to the door, being motioned in by Luna and stopped before they went too far in.

"Wait a moment and get a full update before you rush up," Luna asked. "He's doing worse than he had been. I've managed to get him to mourn a couple of times since he received the summons to Sirius's reading, but none of them lasted very long. Each day, he's been getting more distracted. He doesn't like to show himself as vulnerable."

"Yes, I know," Hermione said with a frown. "From what I can gather, he couldn't do so while with his relatives. It was too much like showing them they won and I think it stuck with him."

Luna nodded. "Yes, that does make sense. I've been able to distract him by having him help me cook a couple of times and finishing our homework, but most often, I've given him some puzzles that my mother made for me. They are designed to make you See with your magic and think outside of the obvious by making what you see with your eyes as unreliable. Because they're so much more difficult as you cannot use your eyes on them, they have very mild compulsion charms to keep a person playing with them without getting frustrated and giving up and he's letting that compulsion take hold of him," Luna said worriedly. "He's completed three of them from the first level. He didn't even realize he completed the first one when it fell apart in his hands."

Hermione looked very intrigued by the puzzles, but threw the thought to the back of her mind for later. "That makes sense, really. I suppose he would prefer to fiddle with the puzzle instead of admitting the grief. I did the same thing as a child when my goldfish died."

Luna nodded and guided Hermione to the couch so both could sit. "Each morning, I've been sneaking into the shower with him to-"

"You what!" Hermione hissed, trying to keep her voice low so Harry would not hear and come to investigate. "I thought you said you weren't going to-"

"I didn't," Luna said with a firm voice and frighteningly serious expression which, combined with raising her hand in a gesture to tell Hermione to stop quieted the fuming Gryffindor. "I did nothing more than to ask if I could wash his back. It is the same thing I was doing the morning we left, only stronger. It keeps him confused and his mind off of Sirius's death for a few hours while he is instead thinking about a naked blonde and trying to figure out why I keep following him in." Luna grabbed Hermione's hand with a pleading look on her face. "I promised I would do nothing to seduce Harry, Hermione. I have not broken that promise. You know I was under a wizard's oath of honesty. I would be dead if I had tried before you arrived."

Hermione nodded mutely, taking a deep breath to calm herself. What she had heard was abnormal, to say the least, but most likely effective. And she had admitted that it worked, as well. "Is there anything else I should know?" She asked, wondering of any other surprises the Ravenclaw may have for her.

Luna tapped her finger to her chin for a moment as she pondered. "Just two things, I think. The first is that his dreams have been getting worse. He doesn't remember much, he says, but he says that he's been seeing the Veil of Death in them before they switch to the usual nightmares. I'm not sure what he means by the usual, since he said that none of them are being sent by Voldemort, but it is what he said."

Hermione nodded, curious about the distinction, but willing to look into it later. "And the second?"

"He's having the nightmares each night. While I go to sleep in my bed, and he in his, his nightmares always wake me up and I crawl into his bed and hold him through the night. It seems to help him a lot. He won't get loud or thrash about while he's being held. He just gets a hold of me and squeezes me until the morning. It's actually more comfortable than it sounds," she said, misinterpreting Hermione's shocked look as being caused by the hug description rather than admitting to crawling into Harry's bed each night.

"Where has he been sleeping?" Hermione asked. "He must be very loud if he wakes you up, and I'm sure your father can't be too thrilled to hear that each night."

"The house only has two bedrooms. I didn't think he would feel comfortable sharing a room with Daddy, so we put my father's camping cot into my room a few feet from my bed," Luna said, looking at the older girl as she balked. "You're taking it better than he did," she idly mentioned.

Hermione wondered just how far behind she was on Luna in making Harry think of her romantically. She was about to get up and go see Harry when she noticed Luna appeared hesitant about something. "Is there anything you'd like to talk about, Luna?" She asked gently, causing the blonde to take a deep breath and look at Hermione with moist eyes.

"I have an idea of how we can help Harry. I've had it for about two weeks, actually," she said quietly, knowing there was no going back. She had committed herself to this almost as soon as she realized what she learned and would stick to it, regardless of the end results.

"What kind of help?" Hermione asked, sitting back down and turning to fully look at Luna as she pulled a leg up for comfort and out of habit.

Luna stayed silent for a moment, peaking Hermione's interest as she watched several emotions play over Luna's face. Once she had her mind made up, Luna nodded once, firmly, and looked at Hermione. "Hermione. I am a Seer," she said without preamble.

Hermione blinked twice in confusion and accidentally interrupted Luna as she opened her mouth to say, "what?"

Luna smiled weakly at Hermione and clarified, "I'm a Seer. I can See things that others can't and can have knowledge from sources most people don't or can't understand."

"So," Hermione interrupted the moment Luna slowed down, "you can see the future? That's how you knew about Harry and why you know we need to share him?" She asked. It would make so much sense if Luna confirmed it, and makes things easier to understand.

"No," Luna said, shaking her head. "Well, not exactly. I _can_ See futures, but not our own."

"I don't understand," Hermione said, sounding as confused as she looked. "I thought Seers can see the future."

"I don't see what happens in this reality. When I know something is happening, going to happen or that I need to be somewhere, it's actually because nargles speak with me. They exist outside of the realm of Time. They're really quite chatty, but they like to talk and not listen, so they don't speak well amongst themselves and help me with hints and the like in exchange for listening."

"So, you don't See _our_ reality, but others? And ... nargles actually _exist_?" Hermione asked incredulously. While she did not want to believe something existed where she could not see it, it _did_ explain a large amount of her intricacies.

"I see other realities. They're infinite in number, you know," Luna said, looking oddly sad. "In random places throughout the space of our world, little rifts, or tears, open up where the fabric of each world touches."

"Touches?" Hermione asked, hoping for clarification. She was following, for the most part, but that part not so much.

"Think of each reality being a bubble in the air when you blow bubbles from soapy water," Luna said. "When two bubbles touch, it's just a tiny spot and only for a few moments, allowing me to see various things." Luna held up a hand with one finger raised and pointing up. "Now, each reality is actually within the same space but at a different ..." She trailed off, looking for the right word, "_frequency_, I suppose is the term to use. Or different vibrating energy."

Hermione could understand that. There were many muggle theories about the existence of multiple realities. Some believed there were only a few alternate realities, but she decided to trust Luna more than theorists. They have proven the existence of other realities through mathematical equations, but it is impossible to say how many. "I understand. So ... you See these other realities?"

Luna nodded. "Yes. I can't choose what I see and I can't control it to see where I want, but I see through the eyes of other Luna's in those realities." Luna shuddered violently, causing Hermione to frown in worry and wrap the younger girl in a hug. "I live as if I _am_ those other Luna's in some of the Visions."

Hermione did not think she should ask, but felt it was something that she needed to know in order to understand the girl. "You don't have to answer, but, they aren't always good lives, are they," she stated, more than asked.

Luna shook her head as she shuddered in the girl's arms. She experienced the things the other Luna's experienced and it most certainly was not always good. "Sometimes, they are very good. I get to see my mother some of the times," she whispered.

"And the other times," Hermione asked, a morbid fascination pressing her forward as much as a desire to help the girl through her experiences. If she held a tendency to go through bad experiences and not tell anyone, she could be even worse off than Harry.

Luna looked away in shame of the last time she was fully immersed in another Luna's world instead of her own just the last summer. She had gone through things in that reality she would hate to experience again. "My last Vision was a reality that was identical to this one, only a few years ahead of our own. The primary difference was that I did not allow myself to get as close to Harry. I was afraid to be close to anyone and stayed distant in that reality, which I forced myself to overcome in this one since it was exactly what I would have done.." She shuddered violently for a moment, causing Hermione to hug her tighter in support.

"That Luna was captured by a group called 'Snatchers' and _used_ by them and the Death Eaters after being delivered to them," she said, hanging her head as Hermione pulled her close. "They took me to blackmail my father to warn them if you, Harry and Ron ever showed up. I was with them for months."

Hermione shook her head on Luna's shoulder. "You don't have to continue, Luna. It's okay, it won't happen this time."

"No," Luna said. "I do. This is one of the reasons I took the actions I needed to this year. You need to know."

Hermione nodded and whispered into Luna's ear, "okay. I'm listening. Take your time."

Luna nodded thankfully and began again after a few silent moments, her tears running down her cheeks as she remembered. "You won. Harry won, but a large number of people died. Our people. Ron betrayed you and Harry, using potions to get you and Harry for Ginny."

"What?" Hermione asked incredulously. "They wouldn't-"

"You already know Ginny plans to, as I've told you as much while under oath," Luna said, more heatedly than she meant to. Practically being told she was lying while telling Hermione a painful 'history' rather upset her.

Hermione sighed and nodded, willing to allow it as a possibility. "I suppose it's possible, yes."

Luna sighed as well, looking pityingly at Hermione. This would have to change. "Hermione, please think about this for a moment. When things got serious, when has Ron ever truly stuck by you and Harry? Your second year, even as a first year, I could see he distanced himself while the school was against him. And in your fourth year, he only came back after the First Task, only after Harry was back in good graces with most of the school for passing the Task." Luna looked at Hermione as if she were a dim-witted child, making Hermione want to flinch back. "Any time the school was against Harry, so too was Ronald. Think and see, Hermione."

Luna gave Hermione several moments to think silently about it. Ron had not really been much of a friend to Hermione even since the beginning. There were times he stood up for her, yes, but it had always been to Slytherins, which he basically hated with a passion. He had always argued with her, belittled her and done his best to make her cry, though she was big enough to admit that it was not probably for that reason. He was nice to her, but she saw a trend where it was either right after they had had a row and he was making up for his anger or when assignments were coming due. She had known that since half way through their first year.

Hermione would have to admit, the quirky Ravenclaw made an odd, logical sense.

"Okay. I'll give you that it makes a lot of sense, but I will need time to think this through. At first glance, you're right, but-"

"I know," Luna eased. "I understand. He's been your friend for a long time. Just try not to excuse everything."

Hermione nodded her head, willing to do so. Luna was not exactly trying to outright convince her that Ron was not their friend. She simply stated it as fact, and then offered her reasons and asked Hermione to come to her own conclusions. Straight forward, logical investigation. She could do that.

"Now," Luna began anew, "you won the war in that reality, but a large number of people died that didn't need to and you wound up in loveless marriages and things were never really good for you."

"I don't understand," Hermione said with a frown. "You said you See rifts in these space, time continuum things, but I'm sure they don't last that long. How do you know all of these things about that reality? You're talking about months, if not years' worth of knowledge."

Luna nodded. "Years, yes. I didn't See all of it, but I saw lots of quick and short scenes and simply _had_ the knowledge of what was happening and associated information. It works like that, some times." Luna took a deep breath and decided to get to the reason this conversation was really happening.

"The reason I'm telling you all of these things, aside from letting you know a little more about why I am the way I am and my motives, at least in part, is because one of these visions was a reality where my mother was alive and spoke to an older form of myself. A young adult, I believe, several years from now in a home I am not familiar with, but knew to call 'home'."

"What did you see?" Hermione asked gently, knowing Luna seeing her dead mother had to be painful.

"My mother was discussing a spell that is in the Lovegood family's Grimiore," she said hesitantly, knowingly breaking the laws of the magical protections bound to the very book in question. "It was a spell from a few centuries ago that was used in times of great need by the Lovegoods. The spell was cast by a coven of the Lovegood women on one of our own, placing them in a time-dilation field that allowed them to experience and slightly control the Seer abilities that were predominate within our line."

"Wait. You're telling me that your family has a history of Seers? And spells to help enforce that ability?"

Luna nodded. "Yes. In our prime, we were extremely accomplished, but kept our abilities in hiding. The Ministry was quite full of itself, even then, and many of the population would have taken us into their service and bound us to them, maybe even hoping to breed the ability into their own lines. Unfortunately, Seers are unable to see their own paths in life," Luna said with a shrug. "It's a form of safety protocol in place to keep them from abusing the power for their own gain to protect the Balance."

Hermione's head reeled for a few moments before she took a breath and quickly checked the information for the most relevant and ignored much of what was said about Luna's history as it did not help her or Harry right now, that she could see. "Okay. So what about this spell? How can it help Harry?"

"It can help all of us," Luna corrected. "I'm not sure how, but it is meant to help allow us kill Voldemort's soul in parts," Luna frowned as she considered that, "and make things ... _better_, some how, though I don't think it is meant to do so directly. I'm not sure exactly, but in the Vision, the other me was being told about the spell in its original form and some history about it, but that Luna was explaining it to my mother in the way I am hoping to use it while my mother was listening and proud of us. The other me was talking about casting it for two Seers instead of one, but I hope to make it even stronger than that, and my mother was only listening to the other me and not offering advice. It was most confusing."

"What do you mean 'us'? Did she know you were seeing through the other Luna's eyes?"

"Oh no," Luna said, surprised. "I mean 'us' as in myself and you."

The matter-of-fact why Luna told her that had Hermione's mind reeling, once again.

"You see," Luna said, "you, Harry and myself were in a relationship together. But I need you to check my work on the original spell to see if it will work for us properly this time as well. While the changes worked in that reality, it was not nearly to this extent."

Hermione shook her head back and forth in utter confusion. "If this spell is for Seers, and you can't see the future of our reality, then why-"

"No, no." Luna said. "The spell is not directly for Seers. It's a time-dilation field," she corrected. "The magical and life energy of the coven was used to create a null field around the target to make time speed up for that person while remaining the same to everyone outside. The more that was in the coven, the longer the witch within could stay there and use her ability as the spell's duration was directly proportional to the number of witches in the coven that were casting the spell." Luna took a position to better face Hermione and took a familiar lecturing tone.

"They had learned to adapt the spell to make the spell itself last longer to those who were casting the spell, so it was minutes to them while still being possibly days to the witch inside, and that allowed them to use slightly less energy, as they no longer had to completely stop the flow of time outside of the field, but merely disrupt it."

"You keep saying coven and 'the witch inside of the field' when you bring this up," Hermione began, her astute and precise mind catching Luna's constant uses of the terms. "Why coven and witch? Does that have any impact on the spell?"

"Witches are the only ones in the line to gain the Seer abilities. Men could as well, actually, but it was very rare. According to the history section in the Grimiore, they were unable to control it at all and their minds broke under the strain," Luna said, not looking at Hermione's shocked eyes with her own.

"What I wanted your help with was to double check and make sure we could increase the size of the field from around the single witch inside, and put it around a large property with several people inside and make it last for longer without it crashing around us."

Hermione was silent for several long moments as she thought of the logistics of what she was being asked. "So, this spell is purely about 'time-dilation', you said? It has nothing to do with the abilities you're talking about or gender-related?"

"Correct. There is no danger to us because of lack of ability or because Harry is male, but because the spell has not been used in this manner before. Or rather, this large or for as long."

"How long are you talking about? And how large of a property?" Hermione asked, looking around the house and wondering if that was what she was talking about.

"As long and as large as possible," Luna said simply.

Hermione nodded and got up from the couch. "Harry first and arithmancy later."

Luna watched Hermione rush up the stairs with an urgent stride, obviously upset about having wasted as much time as she had gone through with Luna. While informative, it kept her from why she was really there.

xXxXxXx

Hermione reached the top of the stairs, silently wondering who in the hell had designed the Lovegood's home as she searched for Harry. She had not thought to ask Luna which room he would be in, but by the time she reached the top, she was itching to take out her wand and find him with a well-placed accio.

As she entered Luna's bedroom, the only thing she noticed was Harry pressed against the far wall and leaning against the dresser with his knees up to his chin and his arms wrapped around them as he cried. Immediately, she ran over to him and enveloped him in a hug, instantly getting a death grip from the boy around her torso.

"Hermione?" He asked thickly. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to be here with you," she told him. "I knew you would be upset and I'm not about to let you go through this with only Luna here to help you," she said, running her hand down the side of his face and squeezing him to try and provide whatever comfort she could.

"They won't stop," he mumbled into her shoulder, twitching slightly. "Please make them stop, Hermione." He whispered pleadingly, almost sounding as if in pain.

Hermione frowned and listened as she replied, trying to figure out who he was talking about. "Make who stop, Harry? I can't hear anything."

"The voices," he groaned. "The ones from the Veil. They're still talking to me and calling to me. Please make them stop."

Hermione closed her eyes and held him tighter as she worried about Harry. Just as she had told him during their second year, even in the wizarding world, hearing voices was not normal. "Oh Harry. The voices aren't here. They aren't really here."

Harry shook his head violently, not taking his face from the crook of her shoulder and neck. "They _are_, Hermione. They've been getting louder for days. I can't understand them, but they're there."

Hermione felt her own warm tears trail down her cheeks as she listened to Harry having a breakdown. Several seconds later, another pair of warm arms wrapped around her, causing Hermione to look into the saddened face of Luna as the girl settled into place to hold onto Hermione and Harry equally. Hermione did not care that they were going to be a part of some weird relationship that was on the outside of normal for her, nor did she care that Luna included her in the hug with Harry. She simply smiled warmly at the other girl who smiled gently back and both held Harry as he cried and hugged both girls to him

xXxXxXx

"Thank you, Cornelius, for seeing me today," Dumbledore said as he sat down regally into the chair across from the Minister of Magic. "I am aware of how busy you are."

"Yes, very busy," the man said quickly, his near constant nervousness heightened with trying to work the revelation of Voldemort without putting himself in a very poor light. It had taken a lot of quick thinking to keep those within the Ministry from talking. He had even been forced to activate the non disclosure oaths all Ministry employees were made to take when hired, just to ensure their silence.

"I was hoping you could tell me what kind of resolutions you have come up with regarding young Mister Potter before tomorrow. I'm afraid that I have waited as long as I could for you to take the actions required and need the rest of the day to press the issue in the Wizengamot if you were unwilling to help me in this matter," Dumbledore said, pitching his voice to emphasize how disappointed he would be if Fudge had been unable to help, and hinting that any inability to do so would be assumed as the Minister refusing to help instead. A careful incentive to help as much as possible, without actually saying as much.

Cornelius wrung his hands together firmly, his fingers turning white as he looked about the room in fear. "I'm sorry, Dumbledore. The only thing we could do would be to declare Black as incompetent and we cannot do that without evidence to show to the goblins! They won't accept our word or any orders from us to void his will and they said they wanted to validate anything we submitted, so we can't do that."

Dumbledore expected as much, but sighed heavily and shook his head slightly, conveying a sense of extreme displeasure. "What about authorizing myself as Harry's guardian? What did you find about that?"

Fudge actually let out a quick whimper before speaking. "Since the Potters didn't have a will, he would have gone to the closest family relative, as you well know. You're the one who placed him with his muggle family instead of allowing any of the wizarding families to take him as would have been proper!" Cornelius ranted, his voice growing confident and accusing as he had the chance to blame that problem with Dumbledore himself. "The Malfoys already even had the paperwork created and signed. All it needed was your signature to override custom and put him where he could learn etiquette and the pureblood way."

"And Lucius was captured with the majority of the Dark Lord's Inner Circle," Dumbledore countered, watching Fudge wince with great satisfaction. He had honestly not wanted to leave Harry with the Dursleys, preferring the Longbottoms or Weasleys instead. But had he made the exception, none of them would have been able to protect him well enough, and it would have been even more difficult to get him to the family of his own choice as opposed to one with the political standing that only the Death Eaters had at the time. All of the light-sided families he would have chosen were either dead or not in a position to protect the boy and their own families.

"Yes, yes," Cornelius muttered rapidly. "But the point remains the same. We cannot change his current guardianship from his muggle relatives unless we can prove they are unfit to protect him and, since you made the argument about the protections you placed on the property saying, and I quote, 'the strongest protections available and impossible to break', we cannot go that route, either. I just don't know what we can do, Albus. I'm sorry," Fudge said.

Dumbledore mentally cursed in his head. The protections really were the most powerful that could be put up. He, himself, had done the work involved and knew that to be true. He had the strongest wards available around that home for anti-magical beings, unless keyed in by him, of course, anti-apparition, anti-portkey and a whole host of others, along with the blood protections. He knew that Petunia's hatred of all things magical and her resentment towards Harry kept those blood protections from doing anything more than simply existing, but it provided the excuse needed to keep the boy away from those who would use him and everything at his disposal for their own gain.

But perhaps that could work to his favor...

"What if the protections were failing?" Dumbledore said. "While they are all as strong now as they were the day I put them up, they will fall soon. It won't be until in another year or two," he said evasively, not saying it would be when Harry reached his majority, "but they will fall. I could simply be taking 'proactive custody' of young Harry, making sure he spends his summers there while taking care of everything else for him and training him to defeat the Dark Lord for good, this time." Dumbledore sat back with a slight smile on his face, feeling quite proud of himself. He knew there was nothing he could _legally_ do to take custody of Harry in thanks to the protections he had put into place so long ago in case those with the power to find any loopholes, such as the Malfoys or Notts, from doing so and getting the baby Harry.

Fudge sat back and thought of Albus's plan, wondering how well it could hold up to scrutiny. The fact of the matter was, he was about to be out of office if he did not pull something incredible out of his ... hat. "It _could_ work," he offered. "But it sounds awfully convenient. With the admission of You-Know-Who being back and all of this at the same time, I don't know how it will work."

"It would not be so 'convenient' if you had not refused to believe me a year ago. Because of that, Voldemort has had a full year to muster his troops, recruit new ones and make a large number of possible plans and who knows what else," Dumbledore said flatly. "Instead, you've frozen the auror budgets, heightened requirements for becoming an auror and passed legislation to upset some of the magical races such as giants, werewolves and half breeds in what could appear as an attempt at pushing those races towards the Dark Lord, just in an attempt to get rid of the Ministry that is attempting to treat them worse and worse."

"Alright!" Fudge shouted, his patience having broken. "Alright. I get it, I understand. I'll see what I can do, but I doubt that we could have it done by tomorrow, Albus, even if everyone goes for it. You have to call a full Wizengamot meeting and you know I can't do that."

Albus mentally smiled to himself as he saw Cornelius crack. He had been pressing for the man to take action and knew he was cutting it close, but did not want to give the Wizengamot a chance to break for even one day and get a chance to allow them to come up with their own ideas and plans to introduce the next day or more. He knew there would be nothing he could do to get Harry beyond a full Wizengamot meeting, but Fudge needed to see him trying, and he needed a way to stall until as late as possible.

These events had been unforeseen, but he had come up with what he believed to be his most ingenious plan yet. And it was still going exactly as he expected it to.

xXxXxXx

Once Hermione had noticed that Harry had fallen asleep in hers and Luna's arms, she gestured to Luna to meet her outside of the room after carefully tucking Harry into his cot. She could not believe Harry was so bad. He had always had moments where he showed more emotion and vulnerability when he felt safe and either alone or with her and Ron, but he had never seemed so far out of it. It was honestly terrifying.

Once they reached the ground floor, she spun quickly, noticing Luna casting a silencing charm on the stairs and paused her immediate rant to wait until she saw the glow form and fade, signifying that the ward was in place. "Why the hell didn't you tell me he was that bad!" She allowed herself to yell out fully. Knowing Harry was asleep and now unable to hear her, she allowed a fury she had never even let Ron see fuel her, not even calming when she noticed Luna flinch and stay hunched down slightly.

"I could not think of a proper way to explain it to you and knew it would make you rush upstairs before I had the opportunity to explain everything else," Luna said fearfully. She trusted Hermione and Harry more than anyone else in the world beyond her own father, but Luna also knew that Hermione loved Harry and would utterly destroy anyone who tried to hurt him if it was within her power. Right now, she felt like she was her prime target, even though she had not truly done anything wrong.

"You mean to tell me," Hermione hissed dangerously, "that he was up there like that the entire time you were speaking to me and you just let me stay down here for a chat?"

"I only came away from him when you got here. I've been with him since then and listening to him about the voices he's hearing. I needed to explain everything you heard me tell you earlier and you needed to know about how Harry is, but I thought it would be easiest to understand everything you heard all of that first, since I knew you would go directly to Harry and I had given him a mild sleeping potion a few minutes before you got here," Luna said with a rush, only just taking a breath and about to continue before Hermione beat her to it.

"Why did you want to me to see that only after listening to you? You said easiest to understand, but why?"

"I did not think you would want to hear a lot of information after you saw Harry and got worried about him and because I wanted you to understand everything else so that you would not immediately dismiss me when I said that I think he's honestly hearing the voices from the Veil," Luna said, beginning to feel more comfortable as Hermione seemed to calm slightly. The girl's hair had tamed a bit since she first saw her, but it had become poofy as her anger rose.

Mostly calm, now, knowing that Luna felt she had an actual reason and something that sounded viable, Hermione frowned and cocked her head slightly as she watched Luna. "How could they be the voices from the Veil? That thing is all the way in the Department of Mysteries! Is he just remembering them, do you think?"

Luna shook her head. "No. I've spoken with him daily since they started and, at first, they sounded like an annoying buzzing in his ear and progressed, getting louder until it sounded like it did when he was at the Veil as of two days ago."

"So, he just heard the voices getting louder?" Hermione asked, wondering how bad it was for Harry to hear the voices from the very thing his godfather had fallen through.

"Basically, yes. But, they come and go. They just got louder each time," Luna replied. "A few days ago, he said he could control it slightly, by ignoring it and the voices almost going away or paying attention and making it louder. But, three days ago, he said it was getting to the point where he couldn't stop paying attention to them. He also said they were mostly gone until a few hours after his showers," she continued with a light blush.

"You mean, because you were hopping into the shower with him and flashing him, the voices weren't affecting him?" Hermione asked incredulously, silently wondering how powerful a teenaged boy's hormones really were.

Luna's face erupted into a full out blush as she nodded. "He said the voices were worse in the mornings and would disappear aside from a whooshing sound like wind for a few hours afterwards, where they would start to come back after about an hour, only getting bad again after they grew louder again."

Hermione blinked and looked down, thinking furiously in thought. "So, he just told you this?" She asked, wondering if maybe Harry was actually using it as an excuse to keep Luna into getting into the shower with him. While it was nothing like what she would expect, it _was_ something she would expect from the male gender in general.

"Yes and no," Luna replied. "Two days ago, when it was getting to be at its worst, he didn't run out of the shower as soon as he noticed me in it behind him He had done so without fail all four days before that, even while still having shampoo in his hair during the third. When I asked if anything was wrong, he told me about how the voices don't bother him for a little while afterwards and decided he would see if it was just mornings or if it was me." Luna quirked a tiny smile and blushed just a slight bit more. "He even washed my back with my scrubby brush before leaving the shower."

Hermione's mouth had dropped open half way through Luna's last comment, knowing where it was leading. "He ... what?" Hermione finally managed to squeak out.

"He washed my back with my scrubby brush," Luna said again. "He had not been sleeping well and appeared half asleep, so I am not sure he would have done it had he been fully lucid, but he scrubbed my back and then walked out instead of running," she finished with a shrug. Point of fact, his acceptance had shocked her and she had not even taken the time to enjoy the washing as she had hoped to since her thoughts were trying to figure out why he had accepted at the time.

Hermione had several questions for Luna, but decided to get back on track, feeling there would be plenty of time for those questions later. "So, you think these are really the voices and not just his memories of them or a psychological breakdown, then? I mean, it would make sense, really. He just lost his godfather to the same Veil he's hearing the voices from and you already said he was dreaming about it, which would probably make it worse..." Hermione trailed off as she decided not to keep saying how she thought it was most likely that Harry was just suffering a breakdown.

"I do. Clink hasn't said as much for sure, but the way he acts and what he has hinted at makes me think that they are."

"Clink? What the hell is a 'Clink'?" Hermione asked.

"Sorry," Luna apologized. "Clink is the nargle who likes to speak with me. I change his name on occasion, but he's still the same nargle."

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed lightly, feeling like she was running a mental marathon to keep up with the Ravenclaw across from her. Deciding that she needed to make things a little easier on herself, Hermione decided to trust Luna's judgement about the magical world, partly due to her admitting to being a Seer and in part to actually growing up in the wizarding world. There were many things she took for granted as simple and childlike knowledge from the muggle world that she had learned in Muggle Studies that the wizarding world held no clue about that no muggleborn would think to explain as they thought it was such simple knowledge. She was sure Luna would be the same, as would any other wizard for what they considered the basics of their own world.

That, and stressing over every new detail would kill her by the end of the day.

"Alright. So, if they _are_ real and not imagined, then what does that actually mean?" She asked, getting back on topic.

"Absolutely no clue," Luna chirruped. "But at least it _does_ mean that I don't believe he's crazy. Isn't that good news?"

Hermione was not sure if it was classic Luna that had her acting pleased to admit she did not believe Harry to be crazy or if she were just trying to soothe Hermione's nerves, but felt it may just be Luna trying to alleviate her own fears. She suspected Luna was more emotional fragile than she let on.

"Yes, it's a good thing he isn't crazy, but we need to figure out how and why he's hearing the Veil when we're so far away from it."

"He's not hearing the Veil," Luna corrected. "He's hearing the voices that came through the Veil."

Hermione looked at Luna for a long few seconds before asking, "is that significant? The distinction, I mean?"

Luna shrugged and grabbed Hermione by the arm as she led her through a door and down into the basement and through several shelves filled with equipment that Hermione had no idea what to call, much less what they did, and several shelves filled with a large assortment of potions under stasis charms.

"Luna? What are we doing here?" Hermione asked as Luna led her to a blank wall in the corner farthest from the stairs.

Rather than answering, Luna placed her palm on a large stone, slightly paler than the rest and a hint of green and chanted something under her breath, causing lines of a pale blue light run along the mortar of the surrounding stones to fill the whole wall with a dim light. Almost as soon as the wall's mortar was lit with the unnatural light, it pulsed twice to Luna's heartbeat and then dimmed to nothing, the wall evaporating into millions of tiny pinpricks of light that fluttered and disappeared into the air.

Hermione stared in wide-eyed amazement as the whole thing took place and even felt a warm, tingly sensation throughout her body as she saw the large, hidden room behind the faux wall. Every surface was covered in runic seal structures that her education in runes, even if she was only aware of about half of what she looked at, seemed to be designed to hide the room from every form of detection. Even all of the thirty book shelves that were stuffed full of dusty old tomes were covered in the same runes.

"This is the only original part of the house," Luna said as she led Hermione into the room, noticing the brunette did not even notice the wall forming back into place. "When we rebuilt our house seven years ago, we moved it a little to the side of where it used to be so it was no longer over this room. Mother built it after marrying Daddy to hide her family's library."

"Y-Your mother," Hermione stuttered, staring unblinkingly at the bookshelves, "brought all of these from where she had them originally?" She inched towards the books unconsciously before Luna's hand reached up and caught her arm to stop her.

"The bookshelves can be a little picky about who they allow to touch them," Luna warned, leading Hermione to a stone pedestal that was covered in more runes and had a large, unopened book that appeared to be made of pure gold resting atop it. "And yes. Mother brought them here from where her family had hidden them a few generations ago. During the Dark Ages, muggles attacked a large number of magical families' homes, including our own. The difference, however, was that we had learned about it well in advance and were able to take most of our prized possessions and place them into hiding before the home was attacked where most wizards were forced to destroy their homes."

"Why would they do that?" Hermione asked, her desire for the books being replaced by the impromptu history lesson. "And why was nothing like this being taught in History of Magic? You make it sound like they were hunting us left and right and actually catching us."

"They did catch a large number of us off guard," Luna admitted. "They got several dozen families' homes. Some of the darker families had rather painful and gruesome guards in place to kill the muggles, which only infuriated them more, but was effective in protecting those houses."

"Let me guess," Hermione groused. "Malfoys?"

"Among others, yes. But, they don't teach this in History of Magic because the wizarding world does not want to admit that the muggles were able to defeat many of us, even then. Many considered it a blight upon their honor and abilities," Luna stated. "Wizards were just as fickle then as they are now. After all, our world hasn't advanced much since then."

"Oh. That makes sense, I suppose," Hermione said, not really surprised at what she was hearing. "Muggles don't stagnate as the wizarding world has."

"And they fear what they don't understand just as strongly as the wizarding one," Luna said, opening the book on the pedestal. "Anyway, these are all of the books my mother had from where they were hidden. Once she and Daddy built our old house, my mother created this room in secret. At the moment, I'm the only one who can enter, though Daddy learned about it when I explained why we needed to rebuild our house here."

"You're a pureblood, right?" Hermione asked, getting a confused nod from Luna who stopped and looked at Hermione to see where she was going. "Then, does your father also have a library? You said these were all your mother's, but I didn't see any others when I was looking for Harry."

"Daddy is a pureblood, but left his family when he met Mother. She refused to get to know him while he lived that life and, when he told her he'd leave his family if she married him, she agreed and they married the next day. His family wouldn't approve since he did not get their permission and he left them with nothing but some money he had saved away and took Mother's family name."

"You said 'that life'. What did you mean? And why did he take your mother's name?" Hermione asked. While the first sounded like interesting information, the second was practically against every custom and tradition of the wizarding world. Even as a muggleborn, she knew that.

"Those are topics for another time," Luna said, pointing at the book in front of her. "This is the Lovegood Grimiore. It's made of gold because it holds enchantments better than any other metal in the world. Well," Luna frowned, "better than any other metal other than orichalcum. But there's only a few ounces of that in existence."

"Orichalcum?" Hermione interrupted her, her insatiable curiousity getting the better of her. "I thought that was just a myth."

"Oh no. It's the pride of the goblins," Luna said with a smile.

"The goblins made orichalcum? Then why don't we have some of it floating around or hearing about it being in their weapons?"

"Oh, the goblins didn't make it," Luna said. "The dwarves did. The goblins just stole it from them a few centuries ago." Luna waved it off and began flipping through the pages, scanning quickly for what she was looking for. "Regardless, the book is highly enchanted. Please do not touch it or any other books within this room unless I specifically hand it to you since only a few of them are safe."

"A-Alright," Hermione said, wide-eyed. She was used to being blown off, particularly by Ron and those who disliked her, but it was different to have her questions answered only in part, giving her a taste of what she wanted, only to have it ended. And rarely did she ever have anyone who knew so much actually speak with her in length about anything. It was ... refreshing.

"The sleeping potion I told you I gave Harry will only last a few hours, so I'd like to go over the spell," Luna said, pointing at the new page with a smile, "as quickly as possible." Luna handed Hermione a parchment and muggle pen to copy the spell down as she read it to her, being required to touch the book with one hand as she read in order to see it while Hermione was completely incapable of seeing anything but the book.

Once it was copied, Luna led Hermione back upstairs and into her room where they could keep an eye on Harry, along with taking turns in keeping his head in their laps to try and comfort him while Luna showed Hermione the alterations she had made two days after getting back home. For the next three hours, they both did the arithmetical equations at progressively larger and longer forms, discussing the dangers of each change they made.

xXxXxXx

"Hello Daddy," Luna said as she and Hermione came downstairs to find Xenophilius sitting on the couch, fiddling with a care kit designed for dogs from Magical Menagerie. "This is Hermione Granger, the one I told you would be arriving today. Hermione, this is my dad, Xenophilius Lovegood."

"Hello Mister Lovegood," Hermione said with a nervous wave.

"Hello Miss Hermione," Xenophilius replied, testing the collar around his own neck as he spoke. "Call me Xenophilius, Xeno or whatever you want, really. As long as I know you're talking to me, I'll answer," he told her simply.

"Um, Sir, what are you doing?" Hermione asked, curious about the man testing the size of a collar on himself.

"Oh, well," Xenophilius looked around nervously, slightly embarrassed that he had gotten so impulsive.

"Daddy," Luna said with a sigh of exasperation, knowing the most likely cause of her father's newest oddity and not sure how to explain to Hermione that her father was living with the theory that Harry was her new pet dog rather than a young, teenaged male who was gaining her attentions and sharing her bedroom each night. "We've gone over the spell, but it will require a lot of help to make it work properly."

"How much help?" Xenophilius asked, suddenly turning serious and putting the collar down with an air of calm and focus that shocked Hermione as the switch took effect.

"A lot," Luna replied. "Depending on what happens tomorrow, we may have to go to extremes to make everything work."

Xenophilius nodded and got up from the couch and up to his daughter, giving her a simple hug. "We'll do what we need to, honey. Just let me know what you need and I'll help you out."

Luna hugged her father back and smiled warmly. "Thank you, Daddy," she said quietly.

Above the three humans, Shadow Walker knew exactly what Miss Lovegood was talking about when she said they would need a lot of help. He had been in the bedroom with them as they took care of his charge. He had looked at their notes and listened to their conversation and, while he did not understand the logistics of changing the spell, he knew what they would need and had already sent out a missive to his leader, readying him for when they met the next day. The girls' plan was ambitious and extreme, but exactly the type of thing they needed with their agreement with Black.

Over the past several days, he had watched his young charge's descent into what appeared to be madness. He had been planning to warn King Ragnok the next day about it all, but after hearing Miss Lovegood's explanations and theories, he decided to warn his king, but admit that it could be something else, entirely, as well. Simply put, he was completely confused by the turn of events.

xXxXxXx

_Harry sat alone in the Department of Mysteries, the room containing both him and the Veil appearing just as damaged and isolated as it had in the past six nights. He sat with his legs pulled up under his chin as he listened to the voices coming from the Veil in a rush, sounding as if the millions on the other side were yelling out for his attention. He was unsure of how long he had been sitting there with his eyes closed, trying to figure out what was wrong. He knew, just _knew_ that this was all some way of helping him understand ... _something._ He was not sure what he was supposed to understand, but that something was supposed to become clear from this. He just had no clue _what_ was supposed to become clear._

_After what seemed liked weeks of silent and immobile sitting there, he felt warm arms surround him on either side, negating the cold air and stone floor that he had not even been aware of. Looking up in surprise, he noticed Luna in another odd sleeping outfit on his left and Hermione in a standard night dress on his right. Curious about how they got there, he opened his mouth and asked them that very question, only to hear no sound come from his mouth._

"_He'll sleep better because we hold him?" Hermione asked Luna as they pulled him between them and wrapped him in their embraces and spoke over him._

_Harry looked between both girls in confusion, trying to ask why they wanted him to sleep when the voices were trying to ... do something._

"_Yes. He doesn't seem to react as badly so long as he has someone to hold on to," Luna said, making Harry realize he had pulled both girls into his sides, molding them to his body. He was able to tell Luna relaxed against him, even snuggling more firmly into him and placing her hand against his chest while Hermione was a little more rigid and hesitantly touching him. Enjoying the sensation without realizing it, he pulled her closer to him, feeling her sigh against his neck and slowly relax._

"_And you are sure he won't be upset to see us like this in the morning?" Hermione asked Luna, speaking more softly than before. Harry tried to tell her he would never be upset with her for holding him, even if it was while he was asleep, but his voice still would not function._

"_He hasn't yet," Luna said sleepily._

"_He's going to be hungry in the morning since he didn't wake up for dinner." Harry tried to figure out what they were talking about. He was right here and awake. He was not even hungry._

"_Mm," Luna mumbled into Harry's shoulder, making the side of his mouth twitch as her breath tickled him. _

_Minutes later, both girls stilled against him and seemed to fade away, leaving Harry alone, though he could still feel them against him. Harry only just realized the voices had once again become louder, having faded away when the girls showed up as if unable to compete with the voices of the living._

_Harry looked around, wondering where the girls had gotten to when the noise of the voices just simply pissed him off. With the voices, he was alone, cold and miserable. With Hermione and Luna, he was warm, comfortable and ... he was not sure _what_ the other feeling was, but he knew he liked it better than anything these bloody voices were offering him._

_Instead of listening to the voices, he concentrated instead on the girls and felt them materialize next to him as the voices faded into near inexistence. He did not notice as the voices went into a retreat to a low rumble just on the edge of his awareness. He only noticed that the warmth came rushing back as he had a moment to wrap both sleeping forms into hugs, feeling safe and ... anchored._

_He opened his mouth and tried to thank them for being there, but was still unable to make a sound. After a few failed attempts, he squeezed them gently instead, letting that serve as his thanks._

xXxXxXx

Hermione awoke the next morning early, just like she always did. A habit from primary school that had carried into her teenaged life. As she opened her eyes, she took a moment to take in the sight of Harry's sleeping form, inches from her face and having trouble wrapping her mind around the fact that Harry was still asleep after roughly twenty hours of sleep. She looked at his face, noticing a complete lack of any indication of troubled dreams.

Silently, she reached her hand up and cupped his face. It was _different_ waking up next to someone like this. She could feel his arm around her, the warmth of his body seeping into her own as she smiled. _'Waking up like this can get to be addicting,'_ she thought, closing her eyes and memorizing the sensations and sounds she was experiencing before sighing. It was time to get the day started.

Raising herself, and taking a few amusing and frustrating moments to unlatch herself from Harry's unrelenting arm, she went to his other side and shook Luna gently so as not to startle the girl.

After several shakes, Luna groaned and swatted at Hermione without looking and then cuddling back into Harry, wrapping her left arm and leg over his body and settling her face into the crook of his neck and beginning to drool slightly out of her slightly opened mouth. After getting frustrated, Hermione started flicking Luna's ear until the blonde woke up and blinked at Hermione.

"You know," Luna said, "the path to the dark side starts with the evil that is waking a person up in the mornings."

Hermione snorted and raised to her feet. "You said you wanted to talk before Harry got up, so come on."

Luna blinked and looked out the window, noticing the first rays of sunlight streaming through and looked at Harry in shock. "He slept through the night without any nightmares," she said quietly in surprise.

"So it would seem," Hermione said. She would have doubted what Luna had told her about the situation if she had not seen how bad he was the day before and if she had not shared so much their final night at Hogwarts. Specifically, stating under an oath of honesty that she did not want to hurt Harry and only help him. Not to mention that she loved him.

Luna looked at Hermione with her eyes wider than normal in her surprise. "He hasn't slept a full night since he got here. And certainly not without waking me up."

"Maybe you were right about holding him," Hermione said. "You did say you went to sleep in your own bed each night. This time, we went to sleep holding him instead."

Luna looked like she was not certain, but nodded distractedly.

"You said you wanted to talk about something this morning?" Hermione hinted at again. This time, however, Luna nodded and got up, having the same difficulty from exiting Harry's arm as Hermione had, but moving slowly and gently enough to not wake him.

xXxXxXx

Ragnok sat in his office, well before the start of the business day and reread the note from his most trusted soldier and friend. Shadow Walker had been taking copious notes about anything he thought his king may want or need to know, as was his habit, and had truly learned a good amount of truly invaluable items of information. The knowledge that the Potter boy had a Seer after his heart, and indeed a willingness to share him with another woman was as amusing as it was interesting. Seers were notorious for living their lives alone or finding their mates much later in life after having known a person for as long as they felt possible as the fears of being exposed controlled them. That the girl was aware of the risks and still doing it spoke highly of Mister Potter's character.

Then, not only was that information learned, but he found that the Lovegood girl had a time-dilation spell the likes of which the goblin nation, in its notorious days, would have gone to war for in order to possess.

Actually, if she were not a Seer from a family that had always honored the goblins, they would have probably made sure they had an 'accident' and employ their best curse breakers to access that hidden library.

Still, he went over all the information he received and knew that Shadow Walker was making his own decisions and opinions every moment of every day he was there to protect Mister Potter. The potions his soldier was taking kept him awake, aware and clearheaded the entire time and Ragnok trusted his judgement. So he would agree to his recommendation once they arrived. The Lovegood girl told her father she planned to ask Potter to attend as his support. Even if not, he could make sure to include her himself if she showed up. It was too late to say she was a part of the reading, and impossible for him to say as much without bequeathing anything to her, but he could think of something.

Setting down Shadow Walker's letters, he picked up the agreement form signed by himself and Sirius Black, wondering if he was doing the right thing. From what he understood from the goblins' records on their primary interests, which Harry Potter was one of the largest thereof, along with his friends, he thought that it was. The benefits for the goblin nation would be incredible if everything worked according to plan, but could nearly bring their downfall if it did not follow the plan.

Sighing, the goblin leader sat back and wondered how he could use Shadow Walker's ideas and include his own method of making it more reliable.

And then everything clicked, causing the king of the goblins to grin ferally.

xXxXxXx

"You want us to _what_!" Hermione screeched quietly in the living room, not wanting her voice to carry up the stairs or anyone who may not be there to risk overhearing her.

"Hermione, it makes sense, doesn't it?" Luna saw Hermione open her mouth to contradict her and quickly spoke again, interrupting her. "Think about it. With the two of us with him last night, he slept better than he has in the past week, not even having a nightmare."

"Yes, but-"

"And," Luna interrupted her, adding to her point, "we already know that it keeps the voices from coming back for several hours."

"I-"

Luna quickly spoke again, interrupting Hermione. "We want him to know we're devoted to him and to helping him, don't we?"

"Well, yes but-"

Luna quickly spoke again, interrupting Hermione once again and realizing the older girl's blush probably could not get too much brighter. "And of all of the things that can be done, don't you think this is a relatively small thing compared to what it could be? Is it not a small thing to do for someone you love?" Luna asked, actually pausing and finally giving the blushing brunette a moment to think.

Hermione's mind felt as though it were fried. As odd as it sounded, Luna Lovegood had used logic to ruin any argument she may have had as she spoke and Hermione was unable to think of any truly viable reason to counter the other girl's theory. It was true that all evidence pointed to this being a course of action that would allow him to function properly for several hours, possibly longer according to that same evidence.

After several moments, Hermione swallowed and looked up the stairs before back to Luna and nodding. "You're right. It's a simple thing and it can help him today." Hermione said, wondering how the other girl had made such a convincing and logical argument when they were supposed to be her own specialty. That, and she felt this would let Harry know that Luna was not the only girl that was interested in him and would get him thinking the way they both wanted him to.

xXxXxXx

Harry woke up to find himself alone in the bedroom, a situation he had not found himself in since he came to Luna's home and found himself oddly disappointed. He had come to enjoy the warmth and feeling of having someone next to him as he awakened.

Finding himself full of energy, he got up and gathered his things to take a shower while Hermione had Luna's attention held elsewhere.

xXxXxXx

"Are you sure about this?" Hermione asked Luna as they both reached the door. Luna simply nodded once and walked in, peeling off her shirt as Hermione did the same, both remaining quiet as they entered the bathroom, the water masking the noise of the door itself.

Hermione was a little uncomfortable undressing in front of Luna, but not overly so. Living in a dorm room with other girls for several years in various states of undress had a tendency to deaden one to such things. As Luna gave a final smile and entered the back of the shower, Hermione took a deep breath and paused for only a moment, long enough to hear Harry yelp as he noticed the blonde, and then she opened the other side of the shower curtain and stepped in, closing it behind her.

When Harry saw Luna, his first reaction was as normal; to make a noise of surprise and then reach for the curtain to take off. However, the curtain opened on its own and Hermione stepped through, just as naked as Luna was but with a fierce blush across her cheeks and far more tense.

Harry stepped backwards and felt his back hit the wall as he tried to back away from both girls, not wanting to touch or do anything that could get him in trouble. The moment his back hit the wall, his flight or fight instincts kicked in and he made a break for escape by trying to run towards the center of the shower curtain, getting stopped by both girls' pairs of hands as they pressed him back into the wall.

"Hermione? Luna? What's going on?" He asked incredulously, his hands covering his eyes by now so he would not see anything he should probably not.

"Harry," Hermione began asking, stepping close and grabbing his face in her hands, forcing him to turn his head to her. "You trust me, don't you?"

Confused, Harry simply answered the question, "of course I do! But what-"

"And you trust that I would never do anything to hurt you? Never let anyone hurt you, don't you?" She asked, interrupting him in an attempt to use the same logic trick Luna had used on her.

"Of course I know that, Hermione," Harry said, no longer fighting their hands and letting her guide his head where she moved it to while Luna held him in place gently with her hands on his chest.

"Open your eyes, Harry. It's okay," she said soothingly.

"But what if-"

"Open your eyes, Harry," Luna said, this time. Letting him know they both wanted him to be able to look at them. He did so slowly, making sure to look higher than needed first and then lowering his vision to look at both girls in the eyes questioningly. "Look at us."

Harry looked between both girls, trying to figure out what they were talking about when Hermione, her face even redder than it had been when he caught the brief glimpse a moment ago, stepped backwards with Luna a step and said, "no Harry. She means, _look_ at us." Hermione felt her blush creeping down past her neck and wondered again how the blonde girl had talked her into this. She did not think she had a bad body, really, but the younger girl beside her had a body that was far better. It took her full restraint to keep from covering herself as she saw Harry look panicked for a moment once he realized what she meant. "It's okay, Harry," she soothed, sounding more confident than she felt.

"We want you to do this, Harry," Luna confirmed, aware that Harry was battling with himself over this.

Harry, not completely sure what was going on, did as they asked. He looked at Luna first, since she was the last one to speak, taking in her almost amber-colored hair now that it was completely soaked through, plastered to her shoulders and back. He allowed his eyes to roam down her shoulders to her breasts, just slightly more than would fill his hands with very pale, pink nipples that were swollen in arousal and then down her firm stomach, probably from years of hiking and the steps at Hogwarts to the equally dark patch of pubic hair between her legs and all of her skin pale and unblemished.

When he looked back to her face quickly, he saw she was smiling gently at him, silent confirmation that what he was doing was okay. Quickly looking over at Hermione, he looked into her eyes, the question obvious in them, making her nod and look more sure than she really was inside.

Her hair, now that it was just as soaked as Luna's, was such a dark brown it was almost black, stuck to her shoulders and half way down her back. Harry noticed that her skin was slightly darker than Luna's and held no marks he could see as he looked past her shoulders to her breasts, smaller than Luna's and easily able to fit in his hands without any difficulty, but her nipples were a light brown to Luna's pale pink and slightly larger, but just as obviously hardened.

She had a little more weight on her frame than Luna, her stomach not quite as toned but certainly far from unpleasant and with slightly more muscular thighs. He noticed that her pubic hair also was as dark as the hair on her head when wet as well and that her legs seemed slightly longer than Luna's.

Looking back up to her face quickly, not wanting to come across as staring too much, he noticed Hermione's eyes seemed worried, even in his confused state, and knew what she was hoping to hear. "You're both beautiful," he said, looking between both girls and silently pleased that he had apparently done the right thing, even if not the why of it, as both girls leaned forward and kissed his cheeks.

"Harry, trust in me that I will never do anything to hurt you, including letting anyone hurt you when I can stop it," Hermione pleaded, stroking his jaw bone gently in hopes of soothing him, which seemed to work.

"I know you wouldn't," he said quietly, still confused as he looked at Luna and said, "and I trust you, too. I know neither of you would do anything to hurt me. But," he looked back at Hermione and knitted his brows together, "what exactly is going on? Why did you both join me in the shower? I mean, girls don't normally do this, right?"

Both girls laughed gently and leaned forward to kiss his cheeks again while Luna continued, "Harry, we both care for you. We have spoken about this and wanted you to know that we will never hurt you or allow you to _be_ hurt if we can help it. I kept getting into the shower with you, in part, because I wanted you to think about it during the days," Luna said carefully, making sure not to mention Sirius while Hermione picked up the conversation, making Harry's attention split to her again.

"We don't just simply 'care' for you, Harry," she said solemnly, almost whispering. As she saw Harry's eyes widen and realization dawn on his face, she felt elated that he was not simply dismissing her outright, even if she had not really expected it to happen. "We love you."

Harry looked back and forth between both girls as the water rushed over them, wondering if this was really happening. "So ... this is," he began, gesturing between the three of them and the shower, unsure of how to finish the question.

Instead, Luna ran a hand that was holding him in place down his chest a few inches as she replied, "This is something we are doing to show you we are really quite serious about this and that this is not some cruel joke. We do love you, Harry, and we want to prove this to you."

Hermione leaned forward slowly, Harry's attention switching to her almost instantly as she tilted her head up and kissed him on the lips for several seconds, then dropping away by a mere few inches and asking, "do you trust us, Harry?"

His mind reeling from what was happening and what he was hearing simply nodded with his eyes closed, missing Luna's movement as she leaned forward and captured Harry's lips in her own kiss, just as long as Hermione's.

"Do you trust us, Harry?" Luna repeated.

"Yes, I do," he said, his eyes unfocused.

Hermione leaned forward and whispered, "good," softly just before kissing him again, his hands automatically coming up and holding her upper arms as Luna dropped to her knees, taking his erection into her hand, getting a startled jump from Harry.

"What are-"

"Trust us, Harry," Hermione whispered into his ear and kissing his jawbone and back to his lips and Luna leaned forward and licked his entire length, making him shudder above her.

[Lemon Start]

Harry looked at Hermione in confusion as he felt Luna lick him a second time before taking him into her mouth and gently sucking, which caused him to close his eyes and shudder before opening them again and seeing Hermione smile warmly, only to hold his eyes as she lowered herself next to Luna, who bobbed her head twice more before moving him to the side slightly and allowing Hermione to take him into her hands.

"You don't have to do this," Harry said, finally catching up with exactly what was happening and out of his state of shock. "Neither of you. I believe what you're saying."

Both girls looked up at him, seeing him almost desperate for them to believe him and simply said, "we know," together, making him swallow thickly and not sure how else he could let them know this really did not have to happen.

Hermione took a moment to examine him now that she was beyond the initial stage of their plans. Luna had made her argument and given logical reasons for what they were doing and what she was about to do. It was all sound, even if a bit fast, but she felt this would be a guaranteed way to make sure he knew she was just as interested as Luna was. She had not expected to do something like this for some time, but did not think it was something she could not, or would not, do for him.

As she stroked him gently, she took the time to feel the heat he radiated and mentally noted that she could probably put both hands on him without much difficulty. Taking a quick breath, she leaned forward and licked the tip of his head tentatively. After several gentle licks, she followed Luna's lead and took him partly into her mouth and sucked gently, having read about the act and knowing what to do.

Hearing Harry hiss as he breathed in, Hermione smiled slightly to herself as she realized that, even not truly knowing how to do the job well, it still worked for him and she was currently pleasing him gave her a feeling of empowerment. After bobbing her head on his length several times, she pulled him out of her mouth and began to lick the side of him, noting that Luna did the same on her side.

Both girls grinned at each other as their tongues darted out and rubbed him with it and their hands came up to play with him, not really doing anything more than exploring the new activity, their intellectual minds trying to learn what they could.

Luna heard Harry's moans beginning to come a little faster as his breathing picked up pace. Knowing he was unused to the actions he was receiving, she moved so that she could take him into her mouth again and slowly slid him into her mouth as deep as she felt she could take him and began to bob up and down, licking the tip of his dick with her tongue and moving faster.

Hermione saw her only taking about half of Harry's length into her mouth, so she reached over and began to stroke the lower half of him as she looked up, seeing him watching them with an expression she had never seen on him before. It was new, and so raw that she stopped stroking him in surprise for a brief moment before he shuddered and spoke.

"I think I'm about to come!"

Hermione, not wanting to just kneel there when it happened began to lick the lower half of him again, just as she had been doing a few moments before as she stroked the other side she could not lick with her hand. And then she felt his dick pulse as his body jerked several times.

Luna blocked the back of her throat with her tongue when Harry warned her and was ready when he came into her mouth. She continued to bob her head happily as he shot into her five times, the last decidedly weaker compared to the first four. She slowly pulled him out of her mouth and licked the tip to clean it off. Seeing him looking at her through lidded eyes, she opened her mouth to show him her prize before closing it and swallowing half of it.

She looked over at Hermione with a smile, seeing the older girl looking at her with a slight blush as she realized what Luna had done. "It's actually not too bad," she told Hermione before learning over and kissing the brunette solidly on the mouth.

Hermione opened her mouth to protest a moment too late and received an open-mouthed kiss from the blonde, which the younger girl used to transfer her prize into Hermione's mouth, which the brunette took in shock.

As Luna pulled back, she noticed Hermione's stunned face change to introspection as she evaluated what she was tasting before also swallowing it, more out of reflex than a real desire to have done so.

[Lemon end]

Luna smiled and looked back up at Harry, noticed his wide-eyed look of shock before realizing he was back and at attention again. Giggling, Luna grabbed him again to get his attention, letting go once she had. "Put that away, Harry. We don't have the time for another go and we still need to shower for real. Make us some breakfast?"

Harry swallowed and nodded mutely, leaving both girls in the shower on their knees to do as he was told. Once he had gone, Luna turned to Hermione.

"I'm sorry I did that, Hermione," she said as both girls got up. "I was just caught up in the moment and didn't realize what I was doing."

Hermione blushed and shook her head. "It's okay, Luna. I was," she looked away from Luna for a second and blushed. "I was actually a little curious about how it tasted, so it's okay."

"Still though," Luna said, "I should not have kissed you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Luna. But, I'm not sure I'm comfortable kissing a girl like that," Hermione admitted. "I knew what we were about to do and was okay with it, but I'm still nervous about sharing Harry and, to be honest, I don't know if it could be a true three-way relationship rather than us both sharing him."

Luna nodded, smiling sadly at Hermione. "I know. I'm actually just as nervous and unsure. I know I suggested it and am probably a little more open about it, but I've never been romantically interested in a girl, before, and don't know how it will work to be honest, but am waiting to work out the logistics until we have more time to sit down and think things through."

Hermione nodded gratefully in agreement. "Exactly what I was thinking. While I don't know if he's likely to go against it if we're both willing, we still don't know if Harry truly likes either of us."

"He _did_ just allow us to perform fellatio on him," Luna said as if it explained everything.

"Yes," Hermione countered, "but we also surprised him in the shower and he's a guy. His hormones probably kicked in the moment we had him look at us."

Luna thought for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't think he would have allowed us to do that if he did not have at least a little emotion for us one way or another. I know he loves you, for sure, but like to hope I have managed to get him to think about me, as well."

Hermione sighed and unconsciously began to scrub Luna's back with her brush as they spoke. "You're probably right. He's too noble to just allow anyone to do that. And he certainly wouldn't have allowed it if he thought we were fangirls or out for the Boy-Who-Lived or any other such nonsense."

Luna nodded. "I suppose all we can do is let him know we both want him and would like to share him and hope he goes for that. I would not like to lose either of your friendships over this, and would prefer he choose you than me and lose you."

Hermione stopped her scrubbing for a moment in shock before beginning again. "I think I feel the same way," she said carefully. "Regardless of what has happened so far, or will happen, I think we will both need your friendship."

At the door, out of either girl's vision, Harry held his shirt limply in his hand, the only piece of clothing he had not put on yet. Things just got much more complicated. And that was not even considering the voices had yet to pop back up beyond the buzzing in his ear.

_'They ... both love me...'_

xXxXxXx

**[Author's Notes:] ** – Next chapter will be Harry's thoughts over what he heard, the will reading, Sirius's prank and deal with Ragnok and Dumbledore's plans along with Weasley and Malfoy appearances. Final request: If anyone knows of any Harry/Hermione/Luna fics, I'd appreciate knowing them so I have more to recommend.


	5. The Power He Knows Not!

**Title:** Darkened Paths

**Chapter5** – The Power He Knows Not!

**Ship:** H/Hr/L, Nev/Susan

**Key: **"Speech"**, **_'Thoughts'_,** "Speech laden with magic"**, §Parsletongue§

xXxXxXx

**[Author's Note:]** - My personal take on "The Power He Knows Not" is in this chapter. Mwa ha ha!

Many of you have noticed that Snape used Harry's name while speaking with Voldemort. There IS a reason to this, to be perfectly honest. You will find out, or get a major hint, in a few chapters (two or three, I believe.) I have yet to see this done and personally, find the idea amusing. The same holds true for the "Power he knows not". Lemmie know what you guys think of my rationalization for the 'Power'? I'm very much curious about your thoughts.

Sorry this starts out boring. All things are necessary (or I just thought they were...) and some things just have to be said. Also, this chapter is being cut in half because of chapter length. This is at twenty-thousand words and only half done. I don't want to run off ALL of my readers with horrendously long chapters. Next chapter is the discussion with Ragnok where everything is explained fully, and the results of it all. I am going in for surgery, so am unsure of how much typing I can do after, but will try my best.

**I'm out of H/Hr/L fics to recommend! If anyone can recommend any, I'd like to be able to read and recommend them here. **I thank those of you who have recommended stories, as well, but would like to point out that the majority of you recommended stories I have mentioned from previous chapters. I just wanted you guys to realize that I have read, and tend to reread, them on occasion (Partially Kissed Hero, especially.)

**Recommended Story of the Chapter:** "Heart's Home" by Aealket (H/Hr/L)

**xXx Previously xXx**

_Luna nodded. "I suppose all we can do is let him know we both want him and would like to share him and hope he goes for that. I would not like to lose either of your friendships over this, and would prefer he choose you than me and lose you."_

_Hermione stopped her scrubbing for a moment in shock before beginning again. "I think I feel the same way," she said carefully. "Regardless of what has happened so far, or will happen, I think we will both need your friendship."_

_At the door, out of either girl's vision, Harry held his shirt limply in his hand, the only piece of clothing he had not put on yet. Things just got much more complicated. And that was not even considering the voices had yet to pop back up beyond the buzzing in his ear._

'They ... both love me...'

**xXx Story xXx**

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled gaily as he watched the witches and wizards that formed the Wizengamot grumble about the early hour as they took their seats, many looking as though they walked straight there from their beds.

One man still appeared to be wearing his fuzzy pink house slippers, but Dumbledore chose not to draw attention to them. He would ask where they were purchased and if they came in a shiny purple later.

Once everyone had taken their seats, Dumbledore stood and garnered their full attention. "Thank you everyone for coming on such short notice. I'm afraid I was unable to let this wait any longer and have done everything in my power to keep from being required to convene this ancient body together," he said.

"As I am sure you are all aware, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named returned and was seen within these very halls not but a week ago." He carefully took note to look at as many faces as possible, making sure to be able to see who looked scared or pleased when he reviewed the memory later. "I tell you this, because I must ask for an exception of the Magical Child Placement Act."

"You convened us to talk about orphans, Dumbledore?" Xavier Hommuls asked, obviously displeased to have been woken up for mundane things. He was not what one would consider dark, but he was an eighteenth generation pureblood and was used to awakening at his leisure, used to a very certain and lavish lifestyle. He was also a grumpy morning-person.

"One orphan in particular, yes," Dumbledore replied, dismissing the breach of protocol as he needed their help if he was to do this within the law. He had already considered doing otherwise, but it was far too risky to go outside of the legal system. "As you all know, fourteen years ago, I petitioned this body to uphold the Magical Child Placement Act and send Harry Potter to his muggle relatives, rather than a magical home as many desired, where I would be able to place the strongest set of wards possible to protect him from any magical being not specifically keyed in."

"Wait," another voice called out, causing Dumbledore to look and see Morgan Fillis standing. "Are you telling us, Dumbledore, that you are wanting to change the boy's guardians? You yourself told us that those protections you put on his house were nigh unbreakable."

Dumbledore nodded and gave the general murmurs of agreement a few seconds before he raised a hand, silencing them. "They are. However, they are designed and built around certain conditions that I cannot divulge to this body at the current time. However, with the passing of Sirius Black, his will has come out to be enacted," Dumbledore said ominously, hoping to persuade them with his tone a little. "Black was, and still is, Harry Potter's rightful guardian as he was thrown into Azkaban without any form of trial or verification and-"

"What?" The Longbottom matriarch looked around, wondering if this was news to anyone else. "Are you telling me that Black was in Azkaban for twelve years and may have been innocent?" She had heard Neville make mention of hearing the reputed 'Golden Trio' of Hogwarts saying the man was innocent on occasion, being around to hear them without being noticed as he was usually in the background, but she honestly had not expected it to be true!

Dumbledore sighed, wishing this information did not have to come out. Sadly, with the lack of assistance from the goblins, it would be found soon enough. And if he was found to be withholding such important information, the amount of assistance he could expect from them later when he needed it just as badly was less likely to come. "Evidence came to light to suggest that he was, indeed, innocent and that official questioning never occurred."

"Nor a trial, hmm?" The stern woman asked with narrowed eyes, causing Dumbledore to feel like a child who was just caught nicking a cookie. And a big cookie at that.

"So it would seem," he said, pulling at his collar. "However, because he was never truly convicted, the goblins recognize his will as valid. Because his will reading is today, and I have gone through all other channels to try and not bother those within the Wizengamot, I find myself in a position of needing your assistance to make the exception required. However, I have two reasons to call each of you here this morning," he said quickly, hoping to keep everyone's attention off of the fact that he was trying to circumvent the man's will and get Harry's guardianship before the reading.

Dumbledore took a quiet moment to finally sit down, now sure he had their full attentions. Each and every one of them had been briefed on the events of that night a week ago, a necessary thing considering the number of prominent names that had been captured. It had been a massive course of action by the Minister to manage to swear all of those involved into secrecy and only the fact that the _Daily Prophet_ had not printed anything yet pointed to their success.

"The first is the most important. I would like to petition myself as Harry's guardian now that he is of an age I can train him and teach him what he needs to know to fight the Dark Lord. I'm sure everyone here can understand the need for this as none of you are sympathizers of the Dark," he said, forcing anyone who would normally have declined his request to decide between granting his request or declining it and appearing as an obvious threat to anyone else. "The second item I would like to bring up is the security of the Ministry."

Dumbledore mentally smiled to himself as the members of the Wizengamot reacted to the news of their potential lack of safety within their own work building. The drive for self preservation would make them want to get over Harry's placement as quickly as possible so they could talk about saving their own hides.

Sad, but useful.

xXxXxXx

Hermione was putting on her bra when Luna hesitated in putting on her own and looked at the brunette carefully. "Hermione, why are you not as uncomfortable with dressing in front of me, or showering with me once Harry was gone as you were even while we were undressing?" She asked, though silently pleased to have had her back scrubbed.

Hermione smiled at Luna and settled herself into the cloth cups carefully as she answered, "because I've suffered through the same situations with my dorm mates. While they weren't running about starkers, they weren't shy about taking off their bra's and had a tendency to stay only in their knickers and walk about each other in the showers or compare their bodies together or pointing out differences in their bits. Since I was in the same room and had the same showers, it was only natural that they did the same while I was there as well, so I got used to it. I didn't like having that much attention paid to me, so I didn't join in the ... discussions, since they usually pointed out how they were growing faster or in better ways, but I got used to being around naked women."

Luna nodded and pulled a pale blue t-shirt over her head. It made sense, really. None of her dorm mates were nearly so comfortable with her, so she had not experienced the same things. And if she went around anywhere without her clothes, they 'disappeared' with her roommates' help. It was just simply safer to stay as far away from them as possible. Some of her roommates were safe, but she had never known which.

"Now I've got a question for you," the Gryffindor said. "How were you able to put up silencing wards yesterday? I meant to ask, but was concerned with Harry."

"It's quite simple, really. The Ministry only tracks the use of magic where there are no adults who can perform magic. They claim doing otherwise is too much of a strain on their resources and children are allowed to use magic, even during summer, while an adult magic user is present to act as chaperone. Then there are also wards around this house that interfere with their ability to track the spells placed on wands of those who are underage or on the Ministry's watch list," Luna said, putting on her socks as Hermione's face flushed with righteous indignation. "As long as you're within the fenced in area, you may use magic here until your wand's tracking charm is cleared, should it have one."

"That's discrimination!" Hermione roared. "That means any pureblood students, or even those of mixed homes can practice magic!"

"Purebloods, yes," Luna said, holding up a finger and then getting sidetracked with her nail's reflective properties as she continued. "Mixed homes and homes of muggleborns are tracked unless they have certain wards that hide the tracking charm's activation while within their confines like my own. The Ministry can still track the wands of those they want to."

Hermione spluttered a few seconds, trying to think of a reply before Luna sighed and looked at Hermione sadly. "The Wizengamot makes the rules, and is controlled, for the most part, by bigoted purebloods who want to make life easier for themselves, harder for others who could upstage them and are men," she ended with a snort. "Men tend to think they are better and more important than they truly are. Except for perhaps Harry, Neville and a few like them. They are a rare breed, however," she finished, causing Hermione to nod.

"Honestly, I don't see what the problem is with using magic within one's own home so long as the proper safety measures are taken," Hermione huffed as she put her socks on and stood up with Luna, going downstairs and following the wonderful smell of breakfast.

As she entered the kitchen, or rather the living room that was also the kitchen, she stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked at Harry, blushing brightly. She still found it difficult to believe she had honestly and truly done that only half an hour ago. Hermione was a teenager, and the thoughts of such things had certainly entered her mind before, but she had never once honestly thought she would act on them. At least not any time soon, and never with Harry, no matter how much she would have liked to. _'How in the hell did Luna manage to talk me into that?'_

Luna, her own cheeks a very light pink, grabbed her by the arm and led her gently to the table and next to Harry, who was facing away and eating his breakfast, already having theirs next to their chairs. She kissed Harry on the cheek and gave him a hug, raising and giving Hermione a pointed look, which caused her to do the same before both sat down, wondering when the younger girl had become so assertive.

Hermione was blushing furiously and could not look Harry in the eyes, so she merely flicked her gaze up for a quick moment to see his expression before she was going to put it down to her plate, but his face caused her to forget that and simply giggle. The boy looked absolutely shocked! He was as red as a tomato and his mouth was opening and closing rapidly.

"Eat your breakfast before it gets cold, Harry," Luna chided, attacking her eggs and happy to note he arranged it into a sunny side up smiley face just like she had had their last day at Hogwarts. She had realized he did it on his better days.

All three teenagers ate in silence, none of them really sure how to begin a conversation. After she was done with her food, Hermione looked to Luna, not feeling confident about being able to talk to Harry without speaking properly, and asked, "where is your dad? I noticed his door was open and he was gone."

"Daddy is sending out the paper orders. He finished the week's work early, but the papers must be sent out at the correct time every two weeks."

Hermione nodded, thinking it made sense, when Harry finally could not stand it any longer. His patience had held this long, but he finally cracked. "What was all that about, earlier?" He blurted out. "Not that I'm not thankful and don't appreciate it, but why did you two do that?"

Both girls stared at him in wide-eyed shock for several moments. He looked to be completely frazzled and confused and just about to finally go barmy. Finally, Luna felt she had to give him an answer, since she was, technically, the reason it all happened. "Harry, you said you trust us, right?"

Confused, Harry nodded. "Yeah, but girls don't just do that to any guy who trusts them. I'm sure I'd have heard about it by now." It was spoken with such sincerity that both girls smiled despite themselves.

"That's true," Luna confirmed. "However, Hermione and I both love you, Harry," she said, not stopping to acknowledge his look of astonishment. "We both are able to offer you things the other cannot, while many things that can be offered to you increase being together. Rather than argue about which of us would try to be with you, and possibly ruin our friendships with you or each other, we decided to share you, if you would have us."

Harry's eyes could not have become any wider. While it was simply confirmation of what he had heard of them while in the shower, albeit a more precise one, he had assumed that he either heard wrong or had misunderstood. Now, he was being told he had heard correctly, had understood, and was being offered a relationship with two pretty girls, both of which had held starring roles in his naughty fantasies for four years, though he would have to admit he had only known Luna for the last. But, after so much time together and learning how alike their histories and lives had been, he felt a bond with the girl that had put her in a special place in his heart. He felt closer to her in many ways because of what they had shared. Closer than Hermione in some cases, though Hermione had always been the one he knew he could trust with anything when he needed to talk. Both were important to him in many of the same ways, but also in several that were different. But this? She almost made it sound like a business arrangement.

He faced Hermione, his face the definition of innocent confusion. "Hermione?" He asked, looking at the blushing girl. "Do you really love me?"

Hermione hesitated only a moment, embarrassed to have been outed so simply before nodding and then looking at Harry. "I do," she whispered. "After you saved me from the troll in our first year, I swore to myself I would always be by your side until the day you didn't want me there any longer. In second year, I developed a crush on you while you visited me in the hospital wing and then near the end of third year, I felt something stronger."

She took a deep breath and looked at her empty plate, embarrassed, but needing to continue. "In fourth year, after a talk with my mom, I realized what it might be and eventually became. During this year, I admitted it to myself that it became more during that bloody Tri-Wizard Tournament, but didn't think it would make any difference since you wanted Cho. So I helped you when you asked for help with her and decided I wouldn't do anything."

Harry blinked in confusion, though happy at the same time. Cho had been nothing more than a poor substitute for Hermione. He had heard others say that Ron and Hermione liked each other, so he ignored his own thoughts, not wanting to cause any kind of disturbance, and went after the closest thing to Hermione he could find, only one who also played Quidditch. He had no idea what the signs were of two people in love, not really. Vernon and Petunia argued all the time, with one bowing to the other's demands on occasion. Ron and Hermione did the same. So, he went after Cho. Pretty, smart from what he heard about her, a good person. So, he pursued her.

Boy was _that_ a mistake!

Harry turned to Luna and she opened her mouth to answer before he even asked his question.

"Before you befriended me last year, my life was absolutely horrid. My dorm mates took everything that they could, left out the most outlandish things for me to wear even though I didn't mind that one so much as those were fun, took my pillows and put itching powder in my sheets," she shrugged as Harry's face reddened with rage and Hermione stared in shock.

"I was utterly alone and had no one. Then you not only befriended me, but were honest in that friendship," she smiled at him warmly, noticing the red seemed to be more blush than anger if his sheepish expression meant anything. They would have to work on his ability to take praise. "You didn't make fun of me or trick me and you and I spoke often about our lives after many DA meetings. I was able to talk about my mother for the first time, ever," she whispered. "That meant a lot."

Luna looked at the table, much the same as Hermione had and used her experience not to cry. "You're the first person I was ever able to talk to about her who didn't make fun of me for losing her," she continued to whisper. "You came to mean so much to me that I knew, and still feel, that I will never be able to abandon you, or let you be without me or my help if I can offer it. And I do not think I could be without yours again. Like Hermione, I pledged myself to always be by your side until you no longer want me, and I most likely won't leave even then," she said, looking him in the eye and doing her best to appear as serious and resolved as she could. Luna had no doubts that she could not handle being alone ever again. Not after having friends.

Harry was about to speak up and ask if this thing about sharing him was meant to be some way of a thank you or payment of some form for simply being a good friend or even some odd form of business venture as it half sounded like moments before, but Luna held up her hand to stop him and continued, not able to stop herself from explaining.

"My feelings are sincere, Harry. I know this. And I know that with Hermione and I at your side, you will be far happier than with just one of us or anyone else." She saw him blush lightly and open his mouth to speak once again, but she grinned and quickly stopped him, already knowing what was on his mind. "No Harry. I am not talking just about the sex."

Harry's blush intensified and he seemed to shrink into his chair, unsure how to continue. The girl seemed to know everything he was going to ask before he did! Though he _was_ very much aware that she said 'just' the sex. So at least that answered one of his unaskable questions. They wanted a real relationship and not just a very close friendship with benefits or some other odd grouping. _'How the hell do I get into these situations?'_ He thought.

Harry looked back at Hermione who was nibbling her bottom lip nervously. "And you're really okay with this?" He asked. "I'm not sure if polygamy is normal in the wizarding world, but we were both raised muggle and it's not normally accepted there."

Hermione hung her head and worried her lip a bit more for a brief moment before nodding. "Luna and I discussed this after you left the Room of Requirement, actually. I was unsure, I'll admit, but," she looked up and into Harry's eyes, her own shining with determination of her decision, "I think she is right about us both being together with you being better than just one of us."

Harry looked into her eyes for a brief moment, reading her as he had come to learn to do. "You're still unsure, though," he said quietly, but firmly.

"I am, yes," she said with a nod and glance at Luna, who was staring at the table and letting them speak together. The blonde still was not trying to force her way into anything with them, which gave Hermione clearer resolve and steadied her. "I just don't know how it will work, really. It's a new concept to me, of course. I wouldn't normally even consider it. But," she smiled at Harry and Luna both, getting a tentative smile from the blonde, "I would honestly like to try."

Hermione was very unsure, she would admit. But she was going to try this odd relationship between the three of them for all of their sakes. And most especially, she felt Harry deserved the opportunity and she could not bring herself to seriously consider taking this away from him. She honestly trusted Luna, and agreed with her that Harry could benefit from both of them at his side. While she did not believe it required a romantic interest by all of them, it offered help in many ways. The quirky blonde had already proven to have a unique ability to ease Harry's mental grief and pains that Hermione grudgingly admitted she would neither have considered or possibly had the courage to try. She would do anything for him, but it frightened her to be so far outside of her comfort zone.

And Luna was sacrificing a good deal with this as well. Not just the chance of getting hurt, just like Hermione, but her family magic. Hermione was not totally sure what it meant, but she knew there was something very important about Luna not only giving up that spell, but having taken her into that hidden room.

"Luna?" Harry asked, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts as he looked at the younger girl. "Are you okay with this?"

"But I suggested it to Hermione," she said, sounding surprised he would feel he had to ask after Hermione told him that.

"Yes," he agreed with a nod, "but that doesn't mean you're completely for it."

Luna nodded as if she thought he were an idiot for asking. "Of course I want this. I would not have offered if I didn't." She looked at Hermione for a brief instant as Harry looked down to think. Hermione got the message, however. Luna was sincere.

Harry looked at his plate and nodded slowly, though he was unsure as to what exactly. "It isn't that I'm not flattered, I swear it isn't," he said, looked at both of them with imploring eyes, "but ... this is just so strange to me," he trailed off, looking around slowly so he did not have to look at the girls.

"We understand," Hermione said, wanting to reach over and grab his hand, but was not sure it would be well-received since he was uncomfortable.

"We don't expect a proclamation of your love, Harry," Luna said, having less compunction than Hermione and reaching to squeeze his shoulder. "We don't expect an answer, either. Take whatever time you need to. Just know that we're here for you."

"We won't be going anywhere and we won't be giving up on you until you've made a decision. We know this is outside of normal, but you never really do normal, do you?" Hermione said with an wane smile, causing Harry to snort lightly.

"I can tell you that you both mean something special to me. Luna, you and I share very similar histories and lives from my time before Hogwarts and your time during. We've shared conversations that I don't think I could have had with anyone else who couldn't understand as well as you had." Luna smiled warmly at him as he spoke, enjoying his thoughts and feeling much the same.

Then he turned to Hermione, who looked slightly disheartened when he finished speaking to Luna. "Hermione, you've meant more to me than pretty much anyone else has," he said. "You've always been beside me and have been with me through everything, even when everyone else turned against me. I trust you more than anyone else." Luna felt a pang of hurt as Hermione smiled bashfully when Harry paused until she realized he was not excluding her, but merely pointing out that Hermione had been with him since day one and never once betrayed his trust, which was something that no one else could truly say. Luna knew she always believed in him, but had only really spoken to him for the last year, which was only one of five with horrible events plaguing him each step of the way. Not being in his life, her faith in him was never shown to be broken, but it was never actually seen, either.

Harry shrugged helplessly as he continued, unaware of the other girls' mental thoughts. "I just don't know what to really think about all of this. I mean, I _want_ to be able to just say 'okay' and go with it, but even though you are both important to me in some way, I don't know what to say to all of this."

"Just take your time and think it over, Harry. That's all we ask."

"And know that we're always here when you need us."

Harry nodded with a jerky motion. Some how, that was exactly what he needed.

xXxXxXx

Dumbledore grinned to himself as he left the Ministry building and arrived back in his office at Hogwarts. Things had gone even better than he had hoped for. He had acquired Harry's guardianship and even managed a few minor reforms within the Ministry that allowed him the ability to post more of his own people within its halls. He now had eyes and ears within each major department and things were good.

"Things went well, I assume?" Severus Snape asked silkily as he saw Dumbledore's all-knowing smirk.

"Better than I had expected and more than I had hoped. I have gained several holes for my agents to slip through and have young Harry's guardianship as of seven forty this morning," Albus said as he gathered the papers he came for. "Have you made everything ready for Harry's return to the Dursleys'?"

Snape nodded once slowly. "Indeed. The congeniality potions shall have them quite _pleased_ to receive him back into their home." It was only Snape's many years as a spy that allowed him to maintain a straight face. Oh, he had no wish for harm to come to the boy, quite the opposite, really, but he was not above tempting the fates to give him a few pranks. He _was_ his father's son, after all.

And what did it matter if there were keyed adoration potions in the mix? It only meant the boy would be forced to deal with stalkers living in his own home. He had placed wards to make sure nothing 'truly' unfortunate occurred.

"Excellent!" Albus said happily.

"How do you plan to get the boy spirited away from the bank without being seen?" Severus asked, truly wondering.

"I've got several Order members already outside of the bank as of..." he trailed off as he opened his fob watch and noticed it was twenty minutes to the hour, "forty minutes ago. I wanted to be sure to have our people there in case he showed up early. That reminds me, I wanted to be gone a little early myself, just in case whoever is helping him has managed to disguise him thoroughly enough to fool them."

xXxXxXx

Harry pulled on his shoes and sat back, staring at his invisibility cloak, running the clear, water-like material over his fingers and sighed. Hermione had explained that Dumbledore had people looking for him a few days ago and that the old man would have people ready to get him after the reading if not before, which Luna adamantly agreed to. He had no idea why the headmaster wanted Harry to remain isolated, but he really did not care any longer. Albus Dumbledore was nothing but his headmaster.

Harry slipped the cloak into his back pocket as he heard someone coming up the stairs and into Luna's room and grabbed his wand, slipping it into a quickly conjured holster for his forearm.

"Are you ready to go, Harry?" Hermione asked, standing at the top of the stairs and not coming fully up. Harry had become silent and introspective the past two hours and she was not sure if it was due to Sirius or his thoughts about the two girls and their offer.

"Yea," he nodded, "let's go." He got up and followed Hermione down the stairs, catching sight of her rather firm bum through her jeans and smirked. Just because he was unsure of everything, it most certainly did not mean he could not enjoy entertaining thoughts about what was offered to him. Especially when he considered the trouble from so many different angles; Dumbledore, Fudge, Voldemort, the Daily Prophet and the general public when being smeared in the paper.

Perhaps it was knowing he was allowed to think those things, as he would never even consider, no matter the situation, about betraying either girls' trust or staring at them without their permission. But then again, he had never had such a visual image to attribute to the lovely brunette, either. He had always thought the girl pretty, but _wow_! The girl had a cracking arse!

"Enjoying yourself, Harry?" Hermione asked with amusement and a little wiggle of her bum as she caught him in the reflective surface of a hanging picture. As the next picture showed his shocked face, as to him she saw him without even turning, she smiled widely, making sure to hide it from Harry's view. As much as this was good news that Harry might be more willing to accept her and Luna's plans, it was just as pleasing to know he wanted to look. She had not exactly been the type to be sought after in the past. It was also nice to know that he was more focused on her arse rather than Sirius' death. Luna had made it clear that they should give him a little push any time he seemed to start focusing on his late godfather, or he seemed to withdraw. If Hermione had not known better, she would have sworn Luna knew something.

Harry was saved from answering as they made it to the bottom of the stairs and Luna popped up, holding a large, flat, bronze rod that looked rather scuffed up and a small satchel full of scrolls. "Father has left us a portkey to use to arrive just outside of Madam Malkin's. He did not think we would want to arrive within the Leaky Cauldron or use the Knight Bus today."

"Thanks. That was nice of him," he said with a smile. Until Hermione's bum had taken his attention, he had been worried about being found by Dumbledore. This would give him a little more time to figure out how to escape Dumbledore later. It would be foolish of him to try and nab Harry right outside of Gringotts, after all.

The three teens grasped the metal, ruler-like portkey and Luna tapped it with her wand, sending all three whisking away as a spying goblin nodded, pleased with the course of events. Shadow Walker turned to the owl that was caught in his hand, a standard Hogwarts postal owl, and smirked viciously while vanishing the letter from Albus Dumbledore that he had turned into a portkey. "We cannot have Mister Potter missing his meeting, now can we?" He asked the scared bird before releasing it, bemoaning the loss of an expertly caught snack.

Oh well. He would get that dog that kept showing up when it thought it was safe.

xXxXxXx

The three teens arrived in an out-of-the-way section of Madam Malkin's building, unaware that Xenophilius had taken his daughter's comments to heart and cast several obscuring and notice-me-not wards around the spot heavily enough that no one would find it along with a ward on intent to make sure anyone looking for wards would not look for those specific ones and change automatically to looking for nargles.

It had already captured three Order members, each of which began to seriously question what in the hell a nargle was, and one auror on his rounds.

"Ugh," Harry moaned from underneath both girls. "Whoever's hand that is, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but ow." He sighed as the pressure of whoever was holding themselves up lifted and Hermione apologized with a bright face.

Luna dusted herself off and helped up Hermione, allowing Harry to get up. "We haven't much time, I'm afraid. Daddy's wards do not handle strain very well."

The three began to walk quickly to Gringotts, only a few dozen yards from where they appeared in the Alley. They were completely unaware of the number of witches and wizards who began to intercept the trio, the majority of those being Order members, only to be thwarted by the elite of the goblin army who were hiding and guaranteeing their safe passage into the bank.

The many people in the Alley who wanted to come up to Harry and apologize for hating him the past year or who simply wanted to approach The-Boy-Who-Lived found themselves struck with the sudden urge to go home and read any old school texts on the goblin rebellions and focus on the goblin tactics and reasons.

As the trio entered the bank, they were immediately intercepted by a goblin who looked rather jittery. "Mister Potter. Welcome to Gringotts, along with your two companions. Mister Black's reading will not commence for a short time, so we are offering the use of one of our conference rooms for those arriving early. Follow me, please." Without really waiting for a response and not acknowledging Harry as he opened his mouth to thank him, the goblin spun on his heel and walked down a hallway from the rear of the room and off to the side, giving each member of the visiting party a glimpse of goblins hidden in little niches every ten feet carrying wickedly sharp, bladed spears.

After walking silently down the lengthy hallway, they appeared within a second foyer, a large reception room that was more grandeur and a show of the goblins' form of wealth and power than any of the humans had seen in their own buildings of power. The rooms were crafted of shining marble with veins of gold, silver and onyx throughout the whole thing into the form of runes and spells in flowing writing of a language none of the teenagers knew and they felt a heavy weight fall upon them in a method that only one recognized.

In the middle of the room, their guide stopped and turned to them. "A word of caution, Mister Potter. While performing magic within Gringotts is against our laws, doing so within the Inner Sanctum is paramount to a death sentence. This holds true not only for you, but any witch or wizard who would do so without license from our king. Please keep this in mind."

"Do you have suppression seals in place?" Luna asked, focusing on the heavy feeling in a place that was not physical, but felt in a way she could not truly 'feel'.

"We do," the goblin nodded, impressed despite himself. "The suppression seals focus on anything that is not goblin in nature at a rate of ninety to ten."

"I'm sorry," Hermione asked, raising her hand slightly. "But what exactly does that mean? I've never heard of that, before."

Luna held off answering, not wanting to offend the diminutive life form that was now far more powerful than herself as he opened his mouth to explain. "Suppression seals are Gringotts' first line of defense. They do just as their name suggests and suppress a person's magical ability by roughly ninety percent, depending on the person."

"Oh," Hermione said simply. "Is that why I feel ... I don't know, 'heavy'? Because of those seals?"

"Indeed," the goblin said, spinning on his heel and walking to an ornate door emblazoned with the Gringotts seal. He stepped to the side and opened it, gesturing widely to the three humans to invite them in.

"Thank you," Harry rushed to get out, still feeling it was necessary from earlier and not willing to let the next opportunity go to waste. The goblin adopted a look of either indifference or constipation, Harry was not sure which, but nodded curtly and motioned for them to enter one last time.

Stepping in, they saw they were not the first to arrive. Luna, Hermione and then Harry walked through the doors and stopped short as they saw Dumbledore look up in surprise as he saw Harry enter. An intense feeling of dread filled each teenager as they saw the Supreme Mugwump rise and approach them with a stern expression plastered on his face.

"Harry! Sweet Merlin, where have you been? You never arrived at the Dursleys' and the protections have nearly fallen!" Dumbledore had known Harry was alive with the heart stone he had tied to the boy as a child, but was unsure of what, exactly, had happened to him. His people had been completely unable to find the boy. And now, not only does he show up, but with Granger! How had she found him? "Miss Granger? How did you find him? I was under the impression you were unaware of his location."

Harry was in no mood to play games at that point in time. He knew the headmaster would be upset and want his questions, but he also was not taking too well to the tone the old man was using with his ... best friend? Girlfriend? Whatever she was to him, she was _his_ and God take mercy on anyone who would think to take him from another person who was important to him when he wanted them around. This same old man kept him from spending time with his godfather, forcing him to remain with the Dursleys and thus allowing even Ron and Hermione more time with him than he was allowed. And now that very same man had the audacity to sound disapproving of the fact that she had come to him?

"Dumbledore," Harry said, taking all three listening by surprise as he pointedly ignored using any titles, "Hermione and Luna are here at my request. Now, if you'll excuse us, we'd like to not talk about the Dursleys or your wards and sit quietly." He silently guided each girl with a gentle touch on the small of their backs past the old man who was simply shocked into silence. Harry was already seating each girl at the head of the large table in the conference room when Dumbledore realized Harry had brushed him aside and grown a streak of independence in his short period away and out from under his necessary control. If only one week did this, then what would a whole summer do? There was far too much at stake to allow that!

"Nonetheless, Harry, I must ask where you have been and who has been helping you evade our people this past week. They are quite advanced, it would seem. I'm sure I could use him in the Order."

Luna giggled. She simply could not help herself. Not only were she and Hermione now apparently criminal masterminds, but Mister Dumbledore simply had no idea what he was doing.

Harry smiled warmly at Luna, who attached herself to Harry's right arm while Hermione held his left hand and squeezed, not as comfortable with displaying such outright affection as Luna. "I'm sorry, Dumbledore," he replied. "But where I have been has been exactly where I needed to be. 'For the Greater Good', I cannot divulge that information."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. He was unsure if Harry truly meant what he believed, as he had no way of knowing Harry meant the Greater Good of himself, or if he was taking the mickey out on him, but it certainly did not put him into good spirits. He was not in any form of disguise and none of his people had found the boy to keep him from getting to the bank. It was like Harry was taunting him!

"Harry, I'm sorry you feel that way. However, I would like to let you know I'm here as proxy for you, my boy," Dumbledore switched to a gentle and breathy tone people assumed came from his old age but was more used to help emphasize his age and apparent wisdom. "I would like to protect you from the pains that come with these situations and there is still enough time that you can get back to Number Four and recharge the wards. They've only a few days left before they collapse."

Harry snorted and shook his head. He had spoken with Luna quite a bit in the last few days and she had been rather adamant that he talk his thoughts and feelings through with her, doing the same in exchange. The Dursleys were something she had been rather violent about, prompting him to acknowledge his own thoughts, even if not to the same degree as she had. "Headmaster, I won't be going back to them again, wards or no wards. They don't want me and I don't want them."

Dumbledore's face lost its geniality and he squared his shoulders, impressing Harry with the visage of a supreme sorcerer who was not about to get dismissed. "Mister Potter, you seem to have not realized that I just told you I am your legal guardian. For your safety, I feel I must insist that you remain with the Dursleys to recharge the wards. It is for your safety as well as theirs."

"You, Mister Dumbledore, are not yet his guardian," a new voice spoke from behind the old man, coming in from a hidden door in the far wall. Oorlog Ragnok, in full regalia of battle robes and with two swords on his left hip and two long daggers on his right with a shield-bracer on his left forearm, the goblin king looked every bit the fierce warrior he was. "Mister Black has left explicit instructions regarding Mister Potter's well-being and we will make sure they are carried out."

Ignoring one of the most powerful humans, both magically and economically, Ragnok turned to Harry and gestured to the hidden panel that was still open, not wanting Dumbledore to get a chance to get his hooks into the boy. "Mister Potter, I am Ragnok. If you would be kind enough to come this way, we have several things we should go over before the start of the reading. Your companions may accompany you. Mister Dumbledore may remain here," he said, hinting that there would be no arguments.

Harry nodded and motioned for the girls at the small of their backs as he had moments ago as Dumbledore grasped Harry's upper arm. "Harry, we are not finished here. You cannot leave the Dursleys without some form of protection," he said, hoping to appeal to the boy's sense of responsibility and hoping he would not be able to let them go without a form of safety if he could help it and save them. "If you do not return as quickly as possible, the wards will collapse and they will be visible to everyone who would wish them harm."

Harry wrenched his arm free with a glare at the headmaster that sent the old man back a pace. He had received such glares before, but even with the seal work he knew to be under the room and within the walls that should have prevented such a thing from happening, he could feel the push of Harry's magic as it spiked and forcibly sent him back like a strong wind. "Dumbledore, if Bellatrix LeStrange was here right now, I'd give her the bloody directions. They mean nothing to me but pain, suffering and a hellish existence."

Harry took one step towards Albus, the pressure between the two prompting Albus to take two more steps back or fall down. "I will never return to them, Dumbledore, or if I do, it will be to end them _and_ whoever forced me back." With that said, he turned and strode to the surprised girls and guided them ahead of him as he left, taking note that several goblins came out from under disillusionment charms and made it quite clear to the older wizard that any further conversation was over.

They entered the hallway, followed by Ragnok, and heard the door close as tiny crystals in the wall began to glow, lighting their way while Luna grasped Harry's left hand without any intentions of letting go. After a few seconds in silence, Hermione stopped biting her lip and turned her head to Harry. "You wouldn't really kill them, would you?" She asked carefully, ignorant of the curious goblin king who was following.

"Would I? Yes," he admitted. "But I wouldn't kill them out of vengeance or because of past actions. The past is the past and done with. If I was going to get revenge for what they've done to me, I'd have done it a long time ago and then continued on towards Snape, Dumbledore, Malfoy and on."

"You have a great deal of potential, Harry," Luna said, staring intently down the hall and clutching Harry's hand almost painfully. She was not happy about being in the hallway, terrified of dark, enclosed places ever since her second year when a couple upper years thought it would be funny to lock her in a cell in the dungeon that still had its enchantments to keep anyone from hearing anything from inside or escaping. They had nearly forgotten about her until several hours later, at which point they opened the door and took off without even an apology. Loneliness was always something that horrified her, but that experience had been among the worst she had ever experienced. "Whether that potential is for your capacity for good or evil is entirely up to you. Leaving you with those people could have made you a Dark Lord, and I honestly don't think anyone would have been able to stop you."

Harry was silent a moment, squeezing Luna's hand that had his in a death grip in response as he considered her words. They had discussed their mutual pasts after a few DA meetings and he understood her hold, so he was not bothered by the minor pain it caused. "I probably would have, but I decided I didn't want to be like Dudley, terrorizing all of those kids like he would do to me, so I decided not to. It's fun to think about, sometimes, when I see people like Malfoy, but not for no reason."

Ragnok remained silent as the humans spoke, ignoring his presence like most tended to do. He could smell the fear coming from the Lovegood girl. It was rather mild, but definitely palpable to his senses. It was also interesting to hear that the boy had grown a sense of independence after only a week. His godfather's demise seemed to have affected him in ways that would benefit the agreement. It intrigued him, though, to know the Lovegood girl was purely human, but that her eyes still reflected light like a feline's when she looked at Potter.

As they came to the end of the passageway, it opened into a small sitting room designed to allow Ragnok's visitors a place to wait until he was ready for them before going into his second office. "Mister Potter," Ragnok began after seating the three in his office. "Your godfather had planned far in advance for several possible scenario's regarding what he foresaw in his future and has worked with Gringotts for those plans and the execution of them."

Harry nodded as Luna released his hand so the proper decorum would be shown. She was the only one amongst them who knew who Ragnok was. "What kinds of plans did he make, Sir?" He asked somewhat nervously. His godfather was one for pranks and the mutt had made a lot of bad jokes about what he could do with Harry as his guardian, usually to Harry's own embarrassment.

"For your immediate enjoyment, Mister Black designated a parchment with us to be enacted the moment his death was recorded by our monitors; that parchment was designed to emancipate you and give you immediate control over the Black fortunes and, should you accept it, the title of Lord Black."

"What!" Harry shook his head in confusion. "Why would he do that?"

"Mister Potter, Mister Black did this so that the title would not go directly to Draco Malfoy, who was tied with you in line for the title. The difference, however, was that it would have gone to him by custom due to his status as a pureblood and through the marriage of Narcissa Black to Lucius Malfoy. By assigning the title, as was within his right, you gain it and the emancipation that comes with it, as no Lord may be under the influence of another."

"What?" Harry asked gently in shock. "He emancipated me?"

"To be more precise," Ragnok corrected, "he granted you the Lordship of the Black line. There is no one who has the right to contest that except Draco Malfoy, and it came with automatic emancipation. It is an old law in the books to make sure that the younger generations could not be adopted and controlled by the older ones in case of family deaths."

"I apologize, Liege Lord Ragnok, but why are the goblins so interested in Harry's guardianship, or lack thereof?" Luna asked carefully. She knew who Ragnok was, and was slightly terrified to speak in front of him, but knew this was a friendly meeting. Or, at least that she was allowed to ask questions. And she was very curious, as well. "You normally do not concern yourselves with the affairs of humans unless it directly or indirectly affects the goblin nation."

"A valid question, Miss Lovegood. Normally, we goblins could not care less about humans, the human world or who belongs to who but, it is because this does, indeed, affect the goblin nation. Mister Black came to us about a year and a half ago and reconstituted his will, which had been previously disregarded by your Ministry." Ragnok leaned back in his large chair and laced his fingers together.

"Mister Black told us everything that was happening in the world of wizards that he was aware of. While normally, we keep our eyes and ears open for all of the information we come across, there are little bits that never make it out and into the public. These were the bits and pieces he has explained to us."

Harry and Hermione tensed for a brief moment before their trust in Sirius took hold and Hermione took the initiative to find out what they worried had happened. "I don't suppose you could tell us the highlights so we know that you've really been made aware?"

Ragnok grinned ferally, pleased with the girl's attention and wariness. "To be simple, the true events of one year ago when Voldemort was resurrected, the horcruxes he is using to remain alive even after death and the knowledge of what your Order of the Phoenix has been doing to fight the threat he and his forces have brought."

"He what!" Hermione screeched. She was absolutely furious at the deceased idiot. He gave away all of their secrets and any chance of success if the goblins had been their enemies. What was that moron thinking!

"Hermione," Harry said, stopping the girl before her rant became more than those two words. Now simply was not the time. "Let's find out if they know _why_ he did it first." He turned to look expectantly at Ragnok, who was watching the exchange curiously.

"The goblins have as much, probably more, to worry about with Voldemort around than you humans. He sees us as vermin to be exterminated. In his last bid for power, he attempted to take over Gringotts, using increasingly less subtle methods. He may hope to get our loyalty for our warriors, but we cannot expect the same in return."

"So, he told you everything because you are against Voldemort? And what are 'horcruxes'?" Harry asked, confused.

"No. He did far more than that. As we have little time until the reading, I will only go over what you need to be aware of at the time of entering the reading room. You are, should you be willing to accept it, Lord Black, which will keep it from going to Draco Malfoy and financing Voldemort's activities. Also, this emancipates you, meaning no one has the right to tell you where to go. You are also permitted to use magic anywhere and at any time as you are no longer held by the underage magic restriction as you are legally considered an adult, and have been for the past six days. Because of this emancipation, anything that would normally be considered legal only once you come of age, such as using magic outside of Hogwarts, marriage, entering into legally binding contracts and the like are all within your rights. This also means that your parents' will may be fully enacted, giving you the title of Lord Potter and everything that has been held from you in that regard as well."

Harry's head swam from side to side as he took in everything he was just told. While he had not expected to become emancipated, he had held no plans to go back to the Dursleys' or even the Weasleys'. He enjoyed their company, but he was enjoying himself at Luna's and did not want to put them into any additional danger when he did not have to. That, and they reported to Dumbledore. He was still unsure exactly what he was going to do about him, but he did not really want to break with the man. He just wanted to stop being controlled and manipulated. Sirius would be alive right now if he had not held secrets from him, damnit!

"So, what you are basically saying is that Harry has become head of both families and is now legally considered an adult?" Hermione asked, just to be sure. "No one can tell him what to do?"

"The Ministry still has certain rights and still has control in some forms, but the simple answer would be 'yes'." Ragnok watched both girls reach for Mister Potter's hands and comfort him. Shadow Walker had told him that Mister Potter was truly hurt by the loss of his godfather, even though he had only truly known the man for two years and been in his company for far less. And these girls, apparently, were some form of lifeline for the scrawny human. He also told him that Mister Potter, should they all honor their agreement, would be a great ally to have, both in the current war, and the one to come.

"It'll be okay, Harry," Hermione whispered to him. "It's going to be a big change, but it will be okay." Luna simply rubbed her thumb over his hand, knowing nothing more really had to be said and not really knowing what she _could_ say.

"But, why would he do it?" Harry asked to no one in particular. "Why not transfer my guardianship to Remus or the Weasleys? I know he and Remus had talked about it and that there were other people my parents had already asked who had agreed."

Ragnok cleared his throat, gaining their attention. "Actually, I can answer those questions, but it will have to wait until after the reading. There are many instructions Mister Black asked of us and he left you this letter to be given to you in a private meeting that we are now having." Silently, Ragnok handed over a scroll that was sealed with enchanted wax that Harry immediately broke, holding the parchment out for the girls to read alongside of him.

_Hey Pup!_

_I first want to say I'm sorry if you're reading this. It would only happen if I'm dead. To that end, please don't mourn me, kiddo. I don't want you to feel sorry for me, but understand that I was still miserable after escaping Azkaban. I was forced to stay hidden away in Headquarters and actually stuck there. I hated that house. Far too many bad memories. But it had the most extensive library of Dark Arts for when we needed them and was mostly unknown to everyone. A hint, though. It isn't the TRUE ancestral home of the Blacks. After all, why in the hell would a bigoted Pureblood family live in a muggle house, in a slum of a muggle neighborhood, when you consider all others, such as the Malfoys, have large manors with extensive grounds? Just a little puzzle to keep you tided over. (Chuckles) _

_Seriously, though, and you KNOW I am, don't mourn me, Pup. If I went out in battle, then I'm happy with my lot in life. As I said, I was miserable in that house and wasn't allowed to leave. The only happiness I had was with you and your friends. If I died in that house, THEN I would have something to be sad about. And I would SO suspect Snape. Er, on an aside... if I DID die in the house, then ... I'm really not sure how to finish that, but don't worry about it. I just can't erase from these blasted enchanted parchments._

_The reason I'm writing this, sorry it took me a moment, is to tell you that I am well inside the web that Dumbledore is spinning. I know everything he knows because of my knowledge of many of the things we talked about. I was sworn not to tell you anything without Dumbledore's permission, Dumbledore going as far as making me give a wizard's oath. However, he had specifically said you or your friends, so I was able to get the goblins' help._

_Harry, I have another letter for when everything is up and going, but at the moment, I am asking that you trust me. I have made several arrangements with them that should be able to help you. I am saying this from being on the inside of things with Dumbledore and knowing his plans for you and the war. _

_Trust me Harry. I have never been able to do anything for you. I have never been able to be there for you. I have done everything in my power, considerable even with my current circumstances, to give you what you needed. Everything will be your choice. I have not forced anything upon you, but I ask that you think things through and then make your decision. Ragnok will hold up his end of our deals if you do._

_Please trust me, Harry._

_Sirius_

Harry's hands shook as he finished the note. It was so very Sirius in the beginning, even the random side of his writing. But the end is what bothered him. It was pleading with him to trust him, something he had always done without hesitation. Well, unless he was offering Harry something edible. Then the man could not be trusted any more than the twins.

"I'll listen to what you have to say, at the very least. I owe him that much," Harry said, staring blankly at the parchment as both girls instinctively began to inch closer to him and tried to comfort with cuddles.

Ragnok nodded his head and rose from his chair. "Very good. Then it is time."

xXxXxXx

Harry sat in the conference room with Hermione and Luna on either side of him, their chairs scooted closer so they were against him and able to provide comforting hand holds and hugs. No matter what they had done in the morning, it would not have been able to keep Harry from becoming saddened now that Sirius' death was thrown right in front of him. There were no thoughts to use to avoid it, no homework that needed completing as they had finished it all and no cooking.

He watched as the Weasleys trooped in, Missus Weasley herding her brood from behind as she was used to. When Ron came in, he smiled and waved at Harry, followed by a smack on the head by his mother for not showing the proper decorum.

"Harry dear, I'm so sorry that you have to go through this," Molly said, eying the two girls holding his hands. It was nice to see them offering him comfort in such horrible times. Still, she would have liked to have seen Ginny there doing the same. Oh well, there would be time later.

"Thank you, Missus Weasley," Harry replied as Nymphadora Tonks entered after them.

"Bloody hell, Harry!" Tonks exclaimed in shock. "We've been looking everywhere for you! Where've you been?" As she waggled a playfully scolding finger at the green-eyed boy, making him feel guilty for the first time as he realized he was not only making things tough on Dumbledore, but others as well, Molly narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean you've been looking everywhere?" The matronly Weasley asked in a dangerous tone. Tonks' hair and face immediately turned red as she realized she had just broken Dumbledore's secret.

"Er, well, you see..." Tonks stuttered, looking imploringly at Harry for help. Harry felt he had no choice but to help the woman out.

"Sorry, Missus Weasley. I've been with someone the past week where I was getting some training in some new concepts for me. I didn't tell anyone where I was going because it had to remain secret."

Tonks took what Harry said and committed it to memory as Molly turned suspicious eyes to him and then to Luna and Hermione, obvious links forming in the mother's eyes. Harry really did not care. He had mad his choice and was sticking with it. He would not be returning to the Dursleys' and he would carry no shame in what anyone thought he had done with the girls, whether he had done it or not.

An unknown goblin began showing everyone to their seats as Harry turned away from Molly's calculating gaze and to the door as Ginny, Hermione and Luna sized each other up. Hermione, looking to Ginny and wondering how serious the girl was about possibly using a love potion, Luna, curious about the red-headed girl's death glare and Ginny wondering which of the two was horning in on her territory. From the door, Harry watched as Remus Lupin came in, offering a sad smile and sitting next to a blushing Tonks, followed by Draco and Narcissa Malfoy and Albus Dumbledore.

Once everyone was seated, numerous goblins entered and offered each of the humans a cup of tea, conjuring stands to place plates of biscuits on that were barely large enough to hold the plates and forcing each of them to hold their cups.

Moments later, Ragnok entered the conference room, followed by several armed security guards, and took his seat. "We will now begin the will reading of Sirius Orion Black." Ragnok carefully pulled out a rolled up parchment and opened it, cracking the Gringotts seal it was sealed with. He was moving slower than he really cared to, but he needed to take as long as he could for everything to work properly.

"Actually, I would like to protest, once again, Harry's being here," Dumbledore stated, interrupting the goblin king, noting how several of the goblins shuffled slightly as their ruler stopped shuffling papers, rather pleased for the breach of protocol and the man's apparent need to have his way. "As his legal guardian, I feel it in his best interest to not be forced to sit through this reading. It is far too soon and much earlier than would normally take place. The healing process has not had time to even begin," he finished, sipping from his cup for something to do and savoring the sweet taste of the tea. Sweeter than he liked, by far. He could not even taste the tea past the sugar and lemon.

Ragnok sighed and looked to Harry, silently wondering if he would tell Dumbledore what had occurred or if he would have to. He took it as a good sign when Harry looked to Dumbledore and spoke. "Dumbledore, I was emancipated six days ago." Harry silently noted that even Remus was surprised before continuing. "You have no authority over me and may not force me to go anywhere. So protest all you wish, but I will not be going anywhere."

"What? How did this happen?" Dumbledore asked, feeling completely blindsided. Narcissa and Draco Malfoy were discretely hiding a smirk and grinning widely, respectively. The first enjoyed seeing Dumbledore struggling while the second simply did not like the old man. He had old person smell.

Ragnok, not wanting to lose the opportunity to take any additional time, spoke up to stop Harry from going too far with his independent streak and telling Dumbledore it was not his business. It was not a big loss, really, as the man would find out soon enough. "Mister Black left explicit instructions with us regarding actions we were to take upon his death. The very first of which was emancipation for Lord Potter-Black."

"What!" Draco yelled out, furious as he realized in only a moment that the reason he was there was not to accept the status as Lord Black as he had expected. He leapt up from his seat, not noticing as the many guards withdrew long, wicked-looking swords. Only his mother's hand forcing him back into his seat as he began to take a step forward saved his life.

"Draco! Stay seated and keep your mouth shut!" She hissed furiously, gesturing at the guards around them.

"But Mother-"

"No, Draco! Look around you before you get yourself killed!" Draco scowled and looked around, his face that was flushed in terror paled drastically as he saw ten angry goblins holding swords and itching for a good reason to feel the coppery mist of blood from a clean beheading.

"I don't care if he has the Black title! You will not behave like a common miscreant!" Narcissa stared her child down until the boy nodded miserably, even more miserable as he saw Ron snickering and most of the others smiling in their amusement.

"Yes, Mother," he said, doing his best not to look at the guards who were obviously upset at having to sheathe their swords.

"To continue," Ragnok began anew, "Lord Potter-Black was emancipated six days ago and, quite obviously, has taken over his lordship titles. Anything beyond that will have to be discussed with Lord Potter-Black. Therefore, Mister Dumbledore, your request is denied and will brook no further argument."

Dumbledore nodded stiffly and sipped again from his cup, needing something to do with his hands and not having an available hand to withdraw one of his usual lemon drops to try and soothe his agitation. _'Damn you, Sirius! What have you done!'_

Without waiting for anything else to continue or happen, as he was beginning to get annoyed with the humans on the right, Ragnok unfurled the parchment and began reading. "I, Sirius Orion Black, being of sound body and mind, hereby swear on my everlasting soul that I am who I portray myself as. Since I'm still here to write, that means it was really me and I've kicked the bucket. Sorry about that."

Ragnok paused a moment to allow the grief-filled chuckles from a few of those attending to die down before continuing. "I know that I have a lot of people looking to get a lot of things, but I would like to say first and foremost that I know what is to come and who the major players are. This has influenced my decisions heavily, and I apologize to those who are upset they won't be getting more. When everything is said and done, I'm sure the new Lord Black would be willing to help, depending on who you are."

"First, to Narcissa Malfoy. If you showed up, I have a trust fund of two million galleons set up that can be accessed once your bastard of a husband is dead. One thing I know you would be interested to know about is the muggle world and a concept they know as 'divorce'. The marriage vows you took had points that I am rather sure dear Lucy hasn't upheld, so you may be able to figure something out that could allow you to leave him. Still, he'll be dead soon, I'm sure." Ragnok carefully noted the interested look on the elder Malfoy and the furious one on the younger, who now knew to hold his tongue. Interesting. "If you have not shown up, then I am sorry, but you will have forfeited this money and it will instead go back to Harry Potter unless you had a reason for not appearing that would keep you from showing up. I'll miss you, Cissy."

"Second, to Draco Malfoy. You're an arrogant, prideful, boisterous, cowardly little bastard," Ragnok grinned slightly as he took joy in saying those words. It was the simple pleasures in life to keep one happy, after all. "I leave you only the book entitled 'Kama Sutra' and hope you can use it to find a new calling in life."

Hermione let out a surprised squeak and blushed furiously as she mentally went through the books cataloged in her mind and recognized the title. As the majority of the room, minus Tonks, Harry and Remus who were also blushing, looked at her, she apologized and glared at the parchment as if hoping it would somehow get to Sirius.

"That concludes the portion of the will for the Malfoy family. Please sign these documents showing you are aware of what you have been given and then you may go." The majority of those present looked at the goblin king with confused eyes. Narcissa realized something more was happening that should not have, but signed anyway, knowing there was nothing to be done for it. Draco wanted to contest the right of not receiving the Lord Black title, but watching his mother serenely sign the papers forced him to remain quiet, lest he gain the ire of the goblins with the large swords.

Moments later, after Ragnok had a moment to wonder why Dumbledore did not question the abnormal actions of sending people out after they received their givings, he continued as the door closed. "Next, to Albus Dumbledore, I leave a chest with several scrolls within and some advice; stop playing the chess master and get some help. It won't be long before you are out of your ability to control things." Ragnok slid the papers for Dumbledore to sign and took note that he looked at the door, obviously aware that he was about to be tossed out, and grabbed a small chest from under his desk. "Please sign that and then you, too, may go. But please wait in the second conference room. Mister Black had another piece of business he wanted you to attend."

With a congenial smile as he realized he had much more going on than simply being given a mysterious box and thus getting appeased, Dumbledore signed with a flourish and took his box out of the room with a bounce in his step.

"To the Weasley family, I leave a hundred thousand galleons, one thousand of which should go to each of your children for whatever they want to use it on. You have been a family to Harry when he had none, and for that, I thank you. I know you love the Burrow, and you can certainly keep it, but think hard about rebuilding. I have contracted Gringotts to put new wards around the whole thing at the direction of Bill that will be large enough for you to build a new home. One that will last for generations and allow you, Molly, to always have as many of your grandchildren near by as you wish. There will be an additional two hundred thousand galleons for rebuilding that is set aside for that purpose, alone. Rebuild and cherish your loved ones as only Weasleys know how to do."

Molly burst into tears as Sirius' incredibly thoughtful gifts broke through the emotional barrier she tried to maintain. For almost as long as she had known the man, she had belittled him and accused him of being a horrible potential father figure for Harry. She had always told him he had no redeeming qualities for raising a young boy, and now, he hit the strongest point in her core, telling her he had set aside two hundred thousand galleons to have the one thing she had always wanted and only ever dared dream of; a home where she could be surrounded by family. Ever since her brothers' deaths, it had been the one thing she had always wanted, prompting her to have far more children than most witches thought proper simply because it meant a larger family. One she could be proud of.

"Oh Sirius," Molly mumbled as Arthur pulled her into a loving embrace. "I am so sorry I ever doubted you. Thank you, thank you," she continued to mumble in gratitude as Arthur left her to sign the papers and lead her out of the room with the rest of the Weasley brood following at Ragnok's prompting.

"To Remus Lupin, I leave five hundred thousand galleons and my entire wardrobe. Please understand, Moony. You are, in every way that could possibly matter, my brother. I don't see this as giving you money or charity, but simply my way of admitting that you have now, and always have had, the right to that. You have always given of yourself and been too proud to allow others to try and show you that you meant just as much to us. There is no giving this back. Accept these tokens, my brother, as one family member to another." Ragnok handed Remus two scrolls instead of the one he had given everyone else. "I also give you this scroll. Read it and destroy it. You will understand. Just remember all the mischief we've managed to get into together and you'll be fine."

Both Remus and Harry realized he had more at work than a simple letter after the closing statement. Anyone in on the Marauder code would recognize the particular choice of words unless they were like Hermione who thought it was more of a way of saying 'remember the good times'. After all, who would leave secret messages in their last will and testament?

A Marauder.

"See you afterwards, Pup?" Lupin asked Harry after signing and standing. The man was an emotional wreck, but decades of hiding those emotions allowed him to appear relatively normal. It was not enough to hide his shock, however, when Luna and Hermione both spoke at once and in sync.

"Sorry, Professor, but we can't." Both girls looked at each other in amused shock before Luna settled back in her chair and allowed Hermione to turn back to the werewolf, silently noting Harry's confused, but trusting expression.

"Sorry, Professor, but we expect to have a lot to do just after this and have no idea when we will be available. Can he send an owl as soon as we're done? Perhaps for dinner?"

Remus nodded as Harry turned to the older man. "If you need anything, Moony, please don't feel like you can't ask. You're basically my only family left and family, real family, takes care of family," he said quietly, but not quite whispering. Remus nodded with a sad smile and bent down to hug his apparent nephew.

"To the Tonks family, I offer the opportunity to be reinstated into the Black family. Since the rules governing the family are rather archaic and paternal, there will still be no chance of you extending the line or taking the title from its new owner, but you will have the Black family's protection. There are rules and restrictions. As such, you will not need to sign anything yet, but have all the time you need. They will be given to the new Lord Black to review and agree to before giving them to you, this way, you're all happy with your decisions. It isn't anything onerous, just making sure to protect the family is all. I'm sure you can understand. I know only one of you were allowed to come for this, so you will have time to talk to your family and decide before anything else is decided."

Ragnok handed Nymphadora Tonks a copy of the current restrictions and rules that Sirius had discussed and smiled as she saw it was all geared to 'treat family well'. With a nod at both Ragnok and Harry, she left with a smile and her hair turning bright pink, her normal happy color.

"The last, but certainly not least, to receive some goodies before the main event will be Hermione Granger. Now, my initial thought was to leave you with the vast library of books I have, but I am afraid Harry will need these to continue on. I'm sorry, Hermione, but I know you won't begrudge me trying to keep Harry alive with whatever I can. Instead, I will leave you with five thousand galleons, which will already be in an account with Gringotts and only needing you to sign the required parchmentwork to have it done. Do with it as you will, Hermione. It is yours and given in gratitude for always having been there to help Harry. We've had discussions in which his gratitude for having you by his side has been highly praised. So thank you for doing what I was unable to."

Hermione looked at Harry with a light blush as the boy was determined to look anywhere but at her with his own massive blush. He had thought that those conversations were going to be held in confidence. "Thank you, Harry. I was happy to have always been there," she whispered.

Harry looked at her and smiled bashfully, still a little nervous to have his discussions told to her, even if only in such broad terms. "It was the truth, Hermione. You've always been there for me."

Ragnok rolled his eyes, making sure the humans could not see him, and slid the parchment for Hermione to sign in front of the girl. It was not that he felt emotions were juvenile or unneeded, but in all honesty, this was just a little too mushy for the goblin king. The only reason this was more an annoyed amusement than actual frustration was because the boy had truly been through battles, both casual and serious, and his reports showed the girl had truly been there with him except for that business with a basilisk. And that had won the boy major points with the goblins. To defeat such a beast with a sword? And a goblin-made sword at that? The goblin king had been happy for a week after learning that.

Hermione signed the papers and rose without being prompted by Ragnok, knowing she would be excluded just as the others had, Luna following just as quickly. Not being a part of the reading itself, she knew she was only there because Harry had brought her. Though she was a little curious about why there had been a chair for her.

Harry looked at Ragnok and asked, "can they stay? I don't really care that they will be here, but plan to tell them everything anyway, and this will make sure I won't leave anything out."

"You are the primary beneficiary, Mister Potter. To that end, you may have anyone you wish and exclude anyone you wish who is not a part of the reading itself."

Harry nodded and looked at both girls with questioning eyes, causing them to smile warmly and sit back down. "Any time, Harry." He was not sure which girl actually said it, as it was very quiet and seemed to be in stereo. But also, he had that weird feeling of pressure that was not pressure somewhere on his back, causing the boy to turn and look around in confusion.

Ragnok quirked an eyebrow as he saw Harry look around the room as if looking for some one or some thing. It was made even more interesting as he saw him pass over Shadow Walker and slow his eyes twice. He had honestly not known what to think of Shadow Walker's comments that the boy was oddly aware of his presence. Shadow Walker had a unique ability for invisibility that Dumbledore had learned a few years ago and, while the old man had not been able to replicate it perfectly, he could do well enough to fool most people using legilimency. Harry Potter, it seems, was somehow able to sense Shadow Walker's presence when it was normally a selective ability that could blanket an entire area. A most interesting development.

"May we continue, Mister Potter?" Ragnok asked. Suddenly, more interested in everything going on. He seemed like a rather interesting person, now.

"Yes, please. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to waste your time," he said with a wince.

"Not a problem, Mister Potter," Ragnok said, picking up the will and quickly finding his place.

"To continue; last in this long line of gifts and goodies, I leave everything that hasn't been given to anyone else or left aside to pay for all of the other transfers to Harry James Potter, my godson and last in the line of Potters. Also, while this should have happened immediately upon my death, I bequeath him with the title of Lord Black, thus emancipating him and subsequently activating the Potter family wills, which would have otherwise activated upon his reaching the age of majority."

"Harry, I leave you with approximately a million galleons, the family jewels, properties, business ventures and everything else under the Black family ownership. This is not near what you will get with the Potter fortunes, but I am afraid that I was forced to use the majority of the Black's liquid assets for another reason. Good luck, Pup. I love you."

Harry sighed and a tear rolled down his cheek as the reading was finished. The two girls grasped his hands and squeezed as Ragnok pulled out another scroll.

"I'm aware this is a lot to take in, Mister Potter, but we need to get through the Potter will, which is quite short, and then we can get to the terms that Mister Black set up to assist you in the coming trials."

Harry simply nodded and took a deep breath.

"There was no formal language to dispense with the Potter finances as they expected you to be a baby and everything would have been handled by your guardian. Simply put, with the way things are being handled, you gain all of the Potter finances, totaling approximately seven million galleons, the Potter properties and the like. Basically, if it belonged to the Potters, it's yours now."

Harry once again nodded, not really feeling much at the time. He felt more numb than anything, still reeling over Sirius' will. Robotically, he reached over and signed the two parchments to accept everything granted to him, feeling like each stroke of the quill guaranteed Sirius' death as being something true.

"What is this about what Sirius did for Harry?" Hermione asked, looking inquisitively at Ragnok as Harry finished signing the papers.

"Mister Black was in on everything that Mister Dumbledore did regarding Voldemort. Or he believed he was, at least. To answer a previous question, a horcrux is a dark item that a witch or wizard can create after splitting their soul in half through a cold-blooded murder after a few rituals that are designed to force it to do just that. Voldemort created several of these. It is what has kept him alive, even after you destroyed his body so long ago."

"You mean Dumbledore is aware of these and didn't tell Harry?" Hermione near yelled. The thought that the headmaster would know such vital information and not share it was absolutely maddening.

"Indeed he has," Ragnok said. "Because of these items, and because of much of the information he was already aware of, Mister Black felt he needed to be as assured of Mister Potter's victory as possible. Therefore, he spent three quarters of the Black liquid assets to us to find a fabled item in wizard legends."

Ragnok reached into a drawer on his desk and pulled out a simple ring, handing it over to Harry. "This, Mister Potter, was the item Mister Black contracted us to find. It is sheer, dumb luck on your part that it also happened to be one of those horcruxes we discussed."

"You mean that," Hermione asked, pointing at the offending ring as Luna's eyes bulged comically, "contains a piece of Voldemort's soul?"

"It used to," Ragnok corrected. "When we found it, there were a good many enchantments on it that lured the one who found it into putting it on. That, in turn, activated the ring and caused the soul fragment to enter and take over the goblin who put it on. The other nine goblins were forced to kill him as soon as he began attacking them. He may very well have succeeded in doing so if he were not so unfamiliar with a goblin's magical core."

"It's the Stone of Power," Luna whispered in reverent shock. "A third of the set of Hallows."

"It is," Ragnok said smugly. Witches and wizards had tried for centuries to find the item, but none had ever contracted the goblins. They were the best of the treasure seekers in the world. And they had just proven that fact.

"The what?" Harry asked.

"Is it safe?" Hermione questioned the goblin king, getting an affirmative and reaching out to grab and examine the ring more closely.

Luna turned her head to Harry, but her eyes never left the ring in Hermione's hand, or more specifically, the stone set within it. "The legend talks of three items, known as the Deathly Hallows. Items granted to three brothers by Death himself. A cloak of invisibility, a wand of unbeatable ability and force, and a stone. A stone of unlimited power."

"That is correct, Miss Lovegood. Mister Black also wanted us to find the other two, but told us he already knew where they were."

"What!" Luna turned all of her attention to Ragnok, completely forgetting decorum and that he was the most powerful goblin in the world.

Ragnok smiled as he pointed at Harry. "Mister Potter, it seems, already has the cloak and Mister Dumbledore has the wand."

"Impossible," Luna mumbled, looking with shocked eyes at Harry who blushed and pulled out the cloak from his back pocket, handing it to the girl who took it reverently.

"So, what are they supposed to do?" Hermione asked, done examining the ring and not really seeing or feeling anything off about it.

"Aside from the uses of the cloak and the wand as the same items of their kind, no one really knows. No one has ever figured out how the stone works, though they _do_ know that you can turn it over in your hand three times and call the spirits of the dead back to you. But it is extremely painful for them to bear and they will spend their time pleading for you to release them," Luna said absently, stroking the material of the cloak.

"Then why did Sirius want Harry to have them?" The bushy-haired one asked.

"It is said that the person who obtains all three items will becomes the "Master of Death". No one knows what that entails, exactly, but a countless number have searched for those items," Ragnok explained. "Mister Black felt that whatever they did, it was worth having and giving to Mister Potter. That is also why we drugged Mister Dumbledore with a power sealing potion in his tea."

"You what!" Hermione screeched. "Surely he'll notice that he can't cast magic!"

"No, Miss Granger. Within these halls, not even Mister Dumbledore himself can mold enough magic to cast a simple lumos spell. And we will have administered the antidote by then." He failed to mention that Harry had focused enough power to literally push that same man back several paces earlier.

"Then why do it in the first place?" Harry asked, drawn in by the puzzle.

"Mister Black knows that, to become the true owner of the Wand of Destiny, or the Elder Wand, whatever you would like to call it, you must defeat its owner in battle."

"But you said it was unbeatable, right?" Harry asked.

"Not all battles are pitched duels in a field in the midst of war, Mister Potter. Any form of contestation or altercation could be considered a battle."

"You want Harry to duel Dumbledore while his magic is bound," Luna stated more than asked. What was happening was almost unthinkable. That the goblins, or that _Sirius_ would have been crafty enough to do this! If _any_ of the legends were true, then the power Harry may receive from this...

"We do, yes," Ragnok said. "We have a room that will not hinder your magic to nearly the same degree as it is in any other. While still weakened, you can still cast. Mister Dumbledore, however, was given enough potion that he would not be able to cast a lumos spell even within Hogwarts."

"But that's cheating!" Hermione said loudly. While she did not want Harry to lose, did that not defeat the purpose?

"Of course it is," Ragnok said, affronted. "No battles are truly fair! Only fools play with their lives and others' with thoughts of an honorable fight! Do you think Voldemort's minions would cast your tickling charms and stupefies if you were not to use anything deadly? NO! They would kill, they would torture, they would rape and they would _laugh_ while you screamed and pled for it to end! It happened in the last war and it will happen in this one!"

Ragnok leveled his gaze at all three terrified youths before him. He had not taken any actions aside from getting a little louder and using a harder tone, but those were things that carried a lot of weight when you had his kind of practice.

"Mister Black knows that Mister Potter has only five years of magical education behind him, all of which involved him taking that education frivolously and without real dedication. What would you have him do to try and assure his godson survives? Go to your dark lord and ask him nicely to give a bit of breathing room until you had time to prepare?" He looked at each child, seeing that they realized he was only telling them the harsh reality of war. This was one concept that Albus Dumbledore never understood, or just simply never adhered to. He wanted all of those who turned dark to have a chance to redeem themselves. And for what? So more could die? Ragnok would make sure these future leaders, if his and Black's plans went properly, knew what to do and how to truly act. It was for their own good, after all. And for everyone else's as well. A concept he was not going to cheapen by throwing the same phrase that Dumbledore did at it.

"You're sure it will work?" Harry asked, committing himself to action.

"No doubts whatsoever, Mister Potter."

"Then I'll do it," Harry said with a nod.

"Very good. Mister Black has also given us the funds to do what we could to help prepare you as much as possible for this war. Finding tutors if necessary, teaching you what we could about wards and such with our curse breakers and other such things. Anything we could think of, along with our assistance in the war of possible."

"Why?" Luna asked carefully. "While Voldemort is a threat as you said earlier, to the Goblin Nation, why choose sides based on one man's financial contribution to helping Harry?"

"It was not just simply the financial contribution. Mister Black has also made arrangements, which we were to show you after obtaining the wand, so we could come up with a consensus of terms and conditions. What we basically have is, should we provide any assistance that is within a reasonable range, then you will make sure to take away a good many antiquated and biased laws allowing us to live more freely and run our bank more efficiently along with acquiring the financial holdings of anyone who works for Voldemort, tried and convicted, of course, after allowing Mister Potter the opportunity to purchase any land, buildings, books and other such material objects for fair price."

Harry thought it over for a second, realizing that it was not really all that bad from what he heard. "I don't really see a problem with that. I'd have to have Hermione check it over with me to be sure, but it sounds okay so far."

Luna stepped up and handed a rolled up scroll to Ragnok, much to his surprise. "Our first request, should everything be approved, would be your help in hiring out as many of your goblins to help in performing that spell, which Hermione and I have modified for our needs."

Hermione and Harry looked at Luna with shocked faces, though for much different reasons, as the girl sat back down and Ragnok looked at the parchment he had been given with first confusion, and then awe. As quickly as he could, he took in as much as possible before the actual mechanics of the spell became clear and left him feeling frustrated. Such a useful spell that would be worthless to the goblins except for uses such as what they appeared to be intending with it!

"This is most spectacular, Miss Lovegood. I assume you plan to train before the next school year, yes?" Ragnok laid the parchment down very carefully as he looked at the blonde girl.

"Yes. We hope to get ourselves and possibly a few people to help and do what we can. We haven't really sat to discuss this yet, but plan to do so very soon. It just makes more sense to give you time to make any arrangements you may need to fulfill our needs of it should be a workable situation for us all."

Harry turned to Luna and cocked his head to the side, silently asking what they were doing. Hermione, seeing this, grasped his shoulder and shook her head as he turned to her. "Trust us, Harry. We'll tell you everything we were thinking about to see what you want to do, but I guess this makes sense," she frowned at Luna thoughtfully. "But we'll have to see what we can do about the power requirements."

"We can discuss everything later. For now, I would suggest we go forward with Mister Black's plan for obtaining the final Hallow and working onward from there," Ragnok said, very curious about the spell itself. He would need to have his spell crafters look into making something similar for their own use. Without waiting, Ragnok stood and strode to the door and opened it, going out and across the hall to the small conference room that had been holding the confused headmaster while telling Harry what was expected of him for everything to work properly.

As the door opened, Albus looked up with a parchment in either hand and several others strewn about on a desk around him. "Ah, wonderful to see you, Lord Ragnok. I am afraid I may have received the wrong box. These papers are completely filled with rather obscene insults and-" Dumbledore trailed off as he saw Harry, Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood enter behind the goblin king. Perhaps Harry had been convinced by the two lovely ladies to listen to reason?

Like hell.

"Albus Dumbledore. As a holder of two of the Deathly Hallows, I challenge you to a duel for domination of the third. My cloak and stone for your wand. How do you respond?"

Albus Dumbledore took no pride in the fact that he was able to refrain from messing his underwear. Still, he felt a tightening in his chest and his eyes bulge as Harry held the two items he was laying on the line for the wand up and offered Albus a single glimpse of the two legendary items. He, himself, had sought long and hard for those items and had never been able to find them, much like many others. The stone, alone, had been lost for over a millennium and, while he had known about the cloak, and briefly held it in his possession, an oath to James Potter had forced him into giving it back to Harry.

"H-Harry! Where in Merlin's name did you find those!" Albus reached out and leaned forward slightly in an attempt to grasp the items, even though he was several paces away.

"You gave me my father's cloak that first Christmas at Hogwarts and Sirius made arrangements for me to get the stone. I'd tell you more, but don't really want to. Yes or no, Sir?"

"Harry, surely you can understand that this would be far too much power to entrust into a young man who has never learned to harness such power?" Dumbledore really did not want to duel Harry. He had to believe he would have a chance against Riddle. But with these items, the stone alone, he would be able to call his family back! At least to say a proper farewell!

"Sorry, Dumbledore, but I've got to try, I'm afraid. Yes or no. No further arguments."

Dumbledore looked at Harry who stood calmly, staring him down. It was slight, and masterfully hidden, but he was not as sure as he was pretending. Years of learning to read people in the Wizengamot assured the older wizard of this. "I accept, Harry. And I wish you would have done the right thing of simply letting me learn to use the items before you take them so I could train you to use them."

Unbidden, Luna snorted in amusement, her already wide eyes widening further as she realized it had happened out loud and not in her head as she had thought. Still, no use wasting an opportunity as this when everyone looked at her. "Headmaster, the Hallows would fight you. Even now, your wand sings out for its new master. Can you not hear it?"

Dumbledore's face turned ashen. Long ago, he had been able to sense something from the wand. That was true. But for the past sixteen years, it had been silent and cold to him, sometimes even giving the sense of arguing with him and fighting his use of it. He had learned, perhaps seventy years ago, that it was the power of the Hallow itself that he felt. A form of sentience. That the girl could feel or _hear_ it without being a master was a truly horrifying thought. With a quick glance, he noticed Harry was eying the two items in his hand speculatively. Could he hear them already?

As far as Hermione was concerned, Luna was doing her odd _Seeing_ thing again and wondering silently if she was _trying_ to scare the hell out of the old man. His heart could not take that many surprises.

"I am afraid I do not know what you're talking about, Miss Lovegood. My wand works perfectly well," Albus said, deciding it was not worth telling her the truth or verifying anything in case she were fishing for information.

"How sad for you," Luna mumbled quietly, barely being heard by those in the room.

"Enough of this," Ragnok spoke at last, looking forward to the coming festivity. "Let us go to the dueling chamber." Quickly, he pivoted on his heel and walked from the room, followed immediately by the two human females and Mister Potter, then Shadow Walker and another armed goblin to separate them from Dumbledore.

In the past, the dueling chamber was used by witches and wizards to settle certain matters that were not to be viewed by the general public, usually inter-family issues like lineage rights, and had fallen out of style when they realized someone always died. While the laws were still in effect, they were rarely used any longer. Combat magic was nearly a lost art amongst humans.

It left the goblins laughing when they realized things would be far easier come the next Goblin Rebellion.

They entered a huge room that was heavily warded from the outside to allow magic users to be far less restrained along with several shielding wards, some of the strongest ever devised into wards, about twenty feet from the walls to guard as strongly as possible from stray hexes, which the spectators would also stand behind. Along the right wall was a large number of weapons, shields and a very large assortment of miniaturized animals that could be summoned, enlarged and charmed for more effective battle strategies.

Battle was like a drug for goblins, and they did whatever they could to make it more interesting and intriguing. The more complexity, the more enjoyment was to be had. It was unfortunate luck that this would not be the much anticipated battle they would have preferred to have seen.

Once everyone was in the room, a goblin closed the door as Ragnok spoke, more for Harry's benefit than Dumbledore's. "As you can see on the floor, there are many rectangular boxes. Each is a series of fields one can enchant for various effects while the outer-most three are purely shield wards for additional protection for viewers and to keep those dueling physically confined to the dueling space."

"Once you begin, the duel may not be ended until one is wholly incapable of continuing. Anything in this room, save for anything risking harm to someone not dueling and anything in their possessions, may be used for the duel however you see fit."

Ragnok grinned ferally and made a sweeping gesture with his hand. "Enter the combatant's box, please."

Harry and Dumbledore walked into the large rectangle, one hoping like hell his godfather was not about to set him up to be laughed at from the afterlife, and the other wondering why the other had not just simply caved and handed over the two Hallows, feigning disappointment.

The two stepped into the smallest rectangle, about twenty feet across and forty feet long, and faced each other, drawing their wands; holly against elder.

"You don't have to do this, Harry. You can simply forfeit and no one has to get hurt from this."

Harry was unsure of how to respond, so he didn't. He unconsciously raised his wand and saluted with it, bringing it down in a reverse 'S' pattern. With a raised eyebrow, Dumbledore brought his up and then down sharply, back up and then across left to right. After a silent moment, both simultaneously cast.

"Stupefy!"

"Consulo Mentis!"

By reflex, Harry ducked down as Dumbledore's spell flubbed, causing nothing to happen, and rolled left, sending out a blob of sparkling water, or what looked to be water as it was completely clear and refracted the reflections within it, at the older man who was looking in shock at his wand as it appeared to have failed him.

"Abicere Spero!"

The stupefy spell hit the shocked wizard, sending him back six feet and going to the ground heavily as the blob arced over and hit the ground a few feet from him, exploding in a bright flash of pale blue light and silver sparkles as if the blob had popped like a bubble.

Harry stopped encanting for the concussive charm he was about to cast when he realized his first spell had actually hit the old man. He had not even tried to dodge! He had been like a rabid mongoose in the Department of Mysteries, flitting in and out of spells, but this was ridiculous!

Harry had just stood fully when he was tackled by both blonde and brunette missiles who were thankful he was not only unhurt, but completely untouched. They had remained silent, not even offering encouragement as the situation was just as serious as anything he had ever been in before, but that had not meant that they did not worry that Dumbledore would still overcome the potion he had been given.

"Why didn't he dodge?" Harry asked blankly from between the two girls as he watched the goblins administer an antidote before they tried to revive the old man moments later.

"Harry, the _Consulo Mentis_ spell is an extremely advanced form of a shielding charm," Hermione told him during her hug. "It literally means 'Reflect Intention' and is like the mirroring effect of any normal shield spell, but horribly difficult to cast because of the focusing power needed and the power must be at least twice as much as whatever is being blocked, thereby sending it right back at the caster and amplified by anything additional."

"Huh?" Harry asked, finally looking away from Dumbledore and at Hermione.

"In other words," Luna began, speaking in much simpler terms, "he tried to reflect your own spell back at you, but it failed."

"Oh," Harry said blankly and then looking back at Dumbledore who was just being awakened.

Dumbledore looked up from the ground with a tear coming from his eye as he slowly raised up from the waist and sighed, looking around miserably. Once his eyes landed on Harry, the old man's head dropped and he shook it despondently. Ever so slowly, he stood and staggered his way over to Harry and the two shocked girls who had never seen the man so downtrodden before.

He stepped up to Harry and sighed dramatically, looking at both girls in turn and finally back to Harry. "It won't make any difference, you know," he said quietly and with nothing but defeat in his voice. "We're all doomed to a life of hiding and then waiting for him to kill us all. The only hope we have is a teenager," the old wizard waved his hands in the air with a negligent shrug. "Doomed, I tell you!"

"Headmaster?" Hermione brooked carefully. "Are you alright? I mean, I know you just lost but-"

"Er, that's my fault," Harry said sheepishly. "That second spell I did made him this way. Finite," he said, pointing his wand at the old man who visibly jerked and then shook his head, looking around quickly as if unsure of where he was.

"Thank goodness, my boy!" Dumbledore said, sounding extremely relieved. "There was nothing I could do to stop that and I was feeling as if there was no choice but to either die now or die later!" The old man rubbed his hands over his body quickly as if making sure everything was still where it should be, sighing in obvious relief when he his inventory came up normal.

"What did you cast, Harry?" Luna asked curiously.

"I hit him with a spell that basically makes the person give up all hope of any sort," he said with a shrug. "It basically translates to 'give up all hope' or something like that. If a person doesn't feel motivated to win, then they won't fight as much as they normally might."

Dumbledore was about to respond before Ragnok interrupted him. "Mister Potter. If you could claim your prize. The legends say you can simply call for the wand and it will come to you. You can either try that, or simply step over and get it." Ragnok watched with curious eyes as he saw Harry eye the wand still on the floor where Dumbledore had fallen. He would have just told him to get it, but he was rather curious about seeing if the legend was true.

Harry reached out a hand and called out, "uh, wand?" and it flew over into his hand. As soon as it was clutched in his grasp, the wand began to glow with a color that no one watching could readily identify. It was actually the light around the Wand of Destiny bending and getting closer to the wand as the space around it became more dense and then pulsed outwards.

As if in response, the ring in Harry's pocket began to glow, the same non-color forming around his pocket and pulsing as well, followed by the responding pulse of non-color from the Cloak of Invisibility that was in Harry's back pocket.

With a strange reverberation, all of the items pulsed once more, sending everyone back several paces as the pulses began to mirror a beating heart, but beginning to beat faster and faster as the Hallows left Harry's person and formed a triangle around him, encasing him in the same non-light that seemed to convalesce around him and then outwards, knocking everyone down.

Harry threw his head back and silently screamed as beams of green light rushed out of his eyes and open mouth and he began to rise in the air with his back arched and his arms held back as if picked up from his chest.

All of the onlookers looked on in shock and no small amount of fear as voices, voices which Hermione and Luna instantly recognized as what Harry had been hearing, began to speak through Harry's mouth, unintelligible and garbled, billions of them speaking all at once, trying to be heard over the others until one voice rose over all of the others.

Harry's voice.

"**Be Silent**," and instantly, they were. Harry lowered to the ground as the others in the room got to their feet and the beams of light from Harry's eyes and mouth ended. He tilted his head forward so it was sitting naturally and all of those present had to repress the urge to shudder as his eyes glowed with an unnatural green that had been rushing out before.

Dumbledore began to hyperventilate as he stepped backwards, away from the unholy creature of power standing before him as it took a step forward. The power that had been coming with each burst was now a constant thrumming in the air, being felt through his, and everyone else's, entire being. It was the power of life, the power of love, the power of hatred, of good and of evil. It was the power of Death incarnate.

"**Albus Dumbledore. Your soul is tainted with the blood of the innocent. Your heart infested with Darkness.**" The apparition that had possessed Harry took another step forward, causing Dumbledore to take three back. **"Your life a shell of what it should be."**

Harry raised his hand, working on pure instinct and emotion, causing a sphere of the same terrifying green to form in his hand, arcs of black electricity seemingly caressing the shell of the ball itself and searching for a way out. He reached forward with that hand and pulled back, ready to thrust the ball at the old man before him until two voices called out to him, stopping his movements entirely.

"Harry!"

Luna and Hermione rushed forward, neither considering the threat posed to them as they stood in front of him and gained his attention. Hermione, having known Harry as long as she had and feeling legitimately safe even with this event, stepped forward and felt, rather than saw, his eyes focus more on her.

"Harry, whatever you're doing, don't. We can't hurt him right now." Hesitantly, she reached out and grabbed the upper arm of the hand that held the odd-looking ball. "Come back, Harry."

Luna stepped up and gently grasped his other upper arm and rubbed it with her thumb. "Harry, take control back. This isn't the time for this. It will come, but not yet. You must be the one to do it. Not _Him_."

Harry blinked, dimming the light behind his eyes rapidly until it was only his normal green eyes looking back at them with a warm smile. "Sorry," he whispered. "It just ... It would have been so _easy_ to have just finally ...," he trailed off, unsure how to honestly finish that sentence.

"We know," both girls said at once, hugging him tightly. After several seconds of hugging, they silently turned him away from the cowering Dumbledore and followed Ragnok out of the door.

Alone in the room, Dumbledore finally took in a gasping breath and gulped down air as the hold on his lungs finally released. In every single scenario he had ever come up with, and in even his worse case scenario's, one thing he had never thought of was this.

The 'Power the Dark Lord knows not' was not love, but death.

It made so much sense, as well. Terrible, frightening sense. Tom Riddle was absolutely terrified of death, even having gone so far as to create horcruxes to assure his everlasting life. Harry Potter, as a one-year old babe, had been struck with a killing curse, which should have killed the boy.

But it didn't. He had even had an odd ability to survive in situations where death was all but assured.

Dumbledore clutched his abdomen as he sank to his knees and began to cry. For the loss of control he had over the situation, now feeling helpless; for the loss of any chance to speak to his deceased family and for the loss of any hold he had on the situation at one time.

xXxXxXx

**[Author's Notes:] ** – What did you think about my take on the "Power He Knows Not"? Interesting? New? Ever see it before? I haven't. I liked it.

If you didn't actually catch it, Sirius' prank was not so much a prank of humor, as a prank of cunning and intelligence. Think of all of the different things he brought about in this chapter and what each of them meant. And, in a following chapter (two or three down the road, depending on what is written, exactly,) the results of his prank have the furthest reaching effects any of his pranks have ever had, and he had never suspected. I'll be nice and tell you when that comes about, too.

Also, leave it up to a Marauder to figure out how to get all the Hallows, yes?

The Hallows will not grant Harry incredible powers (for the most part.) Anything he gets, he WILL have to work for. It may help him a little for some things (you shall see,) but he will not suddenly turn into the Incarnate of Death any time a battle shows up anything like that.

Sorry if you found a lot of typos. I hurried to get this out since I was so close to the end of where I finally decided to cut it off because I've got surgery in four hours and will probably be loopy for a while.


	6. Pranks, Development & Dilation

**Title:** Darkened Paths

**Chapter6** – Pranks, Development & Dilation

**Ship:** H/Hr/L, Nev/Susan

**Key: **"Speech"**, **_'Thoughts'_,** "Speech laden with magic"**, §Parsletongue§

xXxXxXx

**[Author's Note:]** - Wow – Twenty-nine thousand words! This chapter is what many know as a bridge chapter. Its purpose is primarily to explain what's going on, lay out the plans that are going on right now, and get things where they need to be (both in people's minds and in the plot), give you a bit of insight into Dan and Emma's thoughts on everything and get things where they need to be so that I can quicken the pace of the story starting next chapter. In other words, there isn't a whole lot of action, because there's no action to be had. It'll come up soon, though. It is only the second half of the last chapter. **Lots of character development in this chapter**, however, and foundation for other activities in the plot.

**Warning**: Mild, graphic lime during shower time about an eighth of the way down. Integral to the plot, but will still have "Lemon Start" and "Lemon End" before and after it. It isn't bad, but you won't need an imagination. Very short, however.

Taking the advice of Old-Crow (fanfiction(dot)net/~oldcrow), which I highly recommend checking out, I have gone back and changed the author's notes in chapter two and taken out the description of Luna's home in favor of adding in a brief, guided tour when they very first arrive. I would recommend reading it if you want a first-person perspective of Luna talking and Harry's thoughts. I originally didn't add it for sake of trying to keep my word count in that chapter low since it was already at fifteen thousand words. Oh well.

**I'm out of H/Hr/L fics to recommend! If anyone can recommend any, I'd like to be able to read and recommend them here. **

**Recommended Story of the Chapter:** "Oh No! Not Again!" by Herman Tumbleweed (H/Hr/L) – Comedy, fluffy and a little naughty. Redo fic.

**xXx Previously xXx**

_Alone in the room, Dumbledore finally took in a gasping breath and gulped down air as the hold on his lungs finally released. In every single scenario he had ever come up with, and in even his worse case scenario's, one thing he had never thought of was this._

_The 'Power the Dark Lord knows not' was not love, but death._

**xXx Story xXx**

"The nerve of those goblins!" Molly said as her brood ate an early lunch in the Leaky Cauldron. She and Arthur were sitting at a table together while the children made a ruckus a few feet away. "They just threw centuries of tradition out the window and kicked us all out!"

Arthur pushed Molly's plate towards her and gestured at it, silently wondering why she was so worked up. "Perhaps there is good reason, Molly. After all, Sirius was never one to do things the normal way. And it may have been because of the Malfoys being there. He probably passed the Black title to Harry and wanted things as personal as possible."

Molly huffed and took a large bite of her steak and kidney pie, not even tasting the food. "It still isn't right. The boy will need guidance and help! We shouldn't let those bloody goblins have their way with things. They're probably trying to wring him for every knut he's got!"

"Mum! Ron keeps talking with his mouth full and covering me in gravy!" Ginny yelled out before kicking the offending redhead under the table, causing him to cough out a mouth full of potato, which only caused her to fling her bread roll at him, starting a perpetual fight between them as Molly ignored them.

"Molly, let's just wait and see if he needs any help. We don't even know what Sirius left for him and it really isn't any of our business," Arthur drank deeply from his cup as Molly glared at him.

"Harry is practically our son, Arthur. What is ours is his and what is his is ours. We help our own and, being his family, I am practically his mother, which means I should be there to help him," she grumbled, continuing to speak under her breath as she ate, obviously thinking hard. Arthur sighed and went over to break up the food fight his youngest were in the middle of, having ensnared someone else's seven-year old daughter into the mess who had teamed up with the twins while her parents were not looking.

"Hurry up and finish, everyone! By the time we're done, the goblins should have our vaults ready!" Molly called out, deciding to put her anger to the side and focus instead on the money they received.

xXxXxXx

Hermione sat with the others back in Ragnok's office, subtly moving her chair closer to Harry just as Luna was doing. Taking Harry's unresisting hand, she looked at the goblin and asked, "can you start from the beginning of everything now that we've got the time to discuss it?"

"Yes. But before we begin, Mister Potter, Mister Black advised that you should be willing to trust anyone you speak with about this without any doubts. I apologize for the asking this so bluntly, but I must ask; do you trust these two women?"

"Completely," Harry said simply. He was trying to figure out both what Sirius could have left for him to talk about and why the goblin seemed so nice some times and almost hostile others. Griphook had always been rude, but still used niceties and did his job professionally. This goblin seemed to fluctuate slightly between the middle ground.

"Very well. Starting from the beginning, Mister Black contacted us because the Ministry removed his previous will without justification. While we still had a copy, we could not activate it. He found out and contacted us since the situation had changed anyway."

"Okay," Harry said with a nod, understanding so far.

"At the time he contacted us, he offered us information that is not public or general knowledge, but in no way interfered with your people's activities. While we knew about half of it, we were unaware of the other half." Ragnok raised a gnarled eyebrow as he saw the brunette pull out a parchment and begin writing with a single hand without letting go of Mister Potter's hand. An odd sort of talent, really. And he would really like to know where she had that roll of parchment hidden.

"By the time he was ready to complete his will, he first hired us for a few services and, in exchange for a possible alliance between you Mister Potter, and ourselves, we have the opportunity to help each other tremendously. Especially after seeing that spell Miss Lovegood wishes to hire our help for."

"Read this," Ragnok said, handing another parchment to Harry. "Your godfather left that to explain the majority of what we will be discussing."

Rather frustrated with letters, Harry took the parchment without speaking and began reading, holding it so the other two could read it.

_Heya Harry!_

_I suppose you're wondering what the hell is going on, right? I would be. I know you have a lot of questions, or should, so I'll get to the point. You'll find a few more letters and thought strands later._

_Harry, Dumbledore knows of a prophecy about you and Voldemort. Due to a wizard's oath, I can't write the bloody thing. I'm not actually allowed to recreate it in any way or tell anyone in any way. Ask him and don't take 'no' for an answer! I cannot stress that enough! It's important. However, think long and hard about what you learn when he tells you about it. Don't just take his word for what he tells you about it! Don't take his, or anyone else's word, for anything! Think about what you learn, draw your own conclusions or you make yourself stuck being their puppet! While he makes a strong argument for his thoughts on the prophecy, I can think of several other ways to think it through that sound just as plausible and less ominous. Maybe have Hermione help you if you think you can trust her with something that important. I think you can, but you know her a lot better than I do. You can also go to the Ministry to view the prophecy orb if they ever stop being an ass. Good luck with that._

_Second, Dumbledore says he has plans to help you, but I don't know what they could be. He's known about the prophecy since before you were born and has done literally nothing to help you get any training you would need, and he knows it. I've overheard him with Moody, who wanted me to hear since he's the one who hinted at me to listen, that he doesn't plan on teaching you anything more than he needs to. I don't know why, but it's like he wants you to die. I don't honestly think he does, but I don't know why he won't help you. It honestly sounded like he planned to keep you weak. I don't understand it. He even kept you ignorant of magic until he was forced to let you go to Hogwarts! You could have had so much more preparation it isn't even funny! And all that hogwash about making sure you kept a level head and deflated ego is bollocks. Augusta Longbottom would have raised you right, or Amelia Bones or... never mind. It still just irks me._

_That brings us to where we are at right now. I've gone to the goblins to help with several things. I've given them more than half of the Black liquid assets to have them find and obtain all of the Deathly Hallows. I knew where two were, your cloak and Dumbledore's wand, which is how I know the legend is true. They will find the stone and then make sure you get them all. What they do, I don't know. But the term "Master of Death", which the legends say you will become, seems like it can only help. Maybe you become immortal or can choose who dies, I don't know. I just knew they were powerful and extremely sought after on their own merits. Who knows how powerful they'll be when combined? The goblins are the best treasure hunters in the world, Harry. If anyone can find them, it will be them._

_I've also used that money to have them obtain a large number of training materials for you and your friends. They will teach you some other things that is within their abilities. They will make sure that, while you're away from Hogwarts, you are safe and secure. _

_The part you need to be aware of is that, while the goblins aren't exactly friendly or care too much for humans, it is partly due to a lot of animosity between them and us. We've been laying down laws restricting them for decades, Harry. It's even been attempted twice to restrict their birth rates and have them fall fully under human government. Needless to say, it didn't happen, but those are the types of things they have to deal with because of bigoted bastards in the Ministry. Those things almost started more wars between us. While they would still be a little dangerous on their own, it wouldn't be quite as bad. In other words, don't give them a reason to get pissed off at you. Be your normal self and that'll be far more respect than most show them. They're a very, very honorable race and tend to show warriors the most respect, and respectable people the rest. Anyone else tends to get lucky they aren't killed. Or eaten. Goblins have a bad rap for a reason, after all. _

_The point I'm trying to make is that, when everything is said and done, you will try and get them a more equal footing in our world. Details, so far, are that they help you as best they can without risking themselves, and you will do the same as mentioned a moment ago. You will work out details, just to be sure and safe. I did not want to put you into something that you did not want. I'm not Albus Bloody Dumbledore. Details of what they will help you with need to be discussed, regardless, because they will help you with some things even without agreeing to the equal rights bit. Think about it, Harry. You need help and, while I wouldn't trust them entirely for everything, I think you can trust them with most things. Trust your judgement on it._

_Harry, it pains me to write this, but you cannot trust Dumbledore. Not until he's offered full disclosure at the very least. There are a lot of things he is withholding and things that he just simply won't share. He likes to keep everyone in their little parts so they all work together to form the whole. You need to know the whole, Harry. He's a good man, but something is not right. He wouldn't tell me what he had planned for you, but I know he should have begun helping you from your first year, at least. What is giving you a childhood if you won't survive long enough to meet adulthood?_

_I haven't had the time or ability to sit around everyone and get a feel for them, Harry, so I am going to ask that you do this for literally everyone you know. Look at times they have helped you or not helped you and circumstances for everything, Harry. You're going to need to look for people who may not be as honest in their friendship with you as they lead you to believe. I don't mean to draw attention to it, but I have to wonder at Hagrid leaving you outside of the Platform when he could just as easily have taken you in and the Weasleys just happened to show up, talking about muggles and spouting off the platform number of what is supposed to be a secret and hidden platform number. I know they're your friends, Harry, and you care for them, but they are fanatically loyal to Dumbledore and would have been willing to help him and make sure you had a good friend. They're name is practically the definition of a light family. All I am asking is that you look into everything and everyone. I know you will hate it, but you're a very strong political power and wealthy, even without what I'll be leaving you. Anyone who can be your friend or get your help with something will automatically be that much stronger. Just think. I've done this for most of your friends and those you spend a lot of time with and looked back and was able to find strong evidence to both support their friendships and to see where there were a lot of conveniences. I'll leave you a thought strand for that where I thought out loud to let you hear what I thought, but I want you to think and find for yourself first. You are a smart kid, Harry. You need to stop being led around by the nose. _

_What do you want, Harry? What do you hope to have or be in twenty years? I know that, as a kid, you want to be told what to do so that everything you're facing will be okay and be over, but to what end? If you're told what to do, then your life becomes what those people want it to be. If you take control, if you decide what you want, your life will be as limitless as your goals. I wanted to be an auror and was, right beside your dad, Harry. Then the Ministry threw me into Azkaban without a trial and without looking at me for thirteen years. It wasn't because of one man, Harry. It was everyone who let me rot there. Dumbledore is your Ministry right now, Harry. As is anyone who tries to control you without your own input into your life._

_This is your life, Harry, and if you don't take control and guide it yourself, you will forever be someone else's pawn. You will never have your own life and you will forever be miserable simply because you didn't stand up for yourself. I know you're capable. I've done a test on you to see how magically powerful you are. You are already more powerful than Dumbledore by about a third! And I've seen your personal power, Harry. Look at how easily people naturally fall beside you when you speak. You're a natural-borne leader, Harry. I respect that in you. Hearing you speak about something you believe in and are passionate about makes me want to stand beside you and fight to the gates of Hell and back, kiddo! I'm proud of you. No matter what ever happens, understand that. I'm proud of you and I love you._

_Think about it all, Harry. Who your friends are, what you want in your life, what you want to DO in your life, the people who want to use you and everything._

_You may want to know that I decided to leave the Weasleys a parting gift. Looking at them in my own thoughts, I do not trust Molly or Ginny. Molly used a love potion on Arthur and doesn't think it was wrong, which makes me wonder if that could be why he's so spacey and takes her every command, and I can see Ginny following, either on her own or at Molly's urging since she thinks it's so romantic. Blegh. I don't really know the others, but I decided to let them all enjoy my last gift to them. Strictly as a Marauder._

_I love you, Harry. No matter what happens in this life or doesn't. I will always love you._

_Sirius_

Harry frowned as he finished reading the letter left by Sirius. He knew the Weasleys and they were good people. Looking back on it, yes, it was a little odd that they met up as they did, but maybe it was the first time his luck would change. Sure, he had been in a whole lot of trouble, but he always got lucky and got out of it.

His frown deepened as he actually looked back and saw that some of those situations were only as hard as would be needed for him at the time, save for the basilisk. Ron was murder at chess, and McGonagall's task was a chess set that hadn't even been played and Quirrell was on the other side. Logic riddle for Hermione, a troll that was already proven could be stopped by a first year student and spell. Then his head began to hurt and he gave Hermione the parchment as he saw her begin to read it a second time. Sirius was going to make him as paranoid as Moody at this rate! "So, he wants me to help you get equal rights in exchange for help against Voldemort?"

Ragnok nodded. "In the most basic of terms, yes. We are to help you with transmitting messages, bodyguard duty during summers and grant you sanctuary when you need it against reasonable odds unless you agree to helping. Your godfather refused to agree to any terms, but he did discuss with us a basic plan outline to suggest to you that he thought you may be agreeable to, but said almost every few minutes that we were to make decisions with you."

"Liege Lord Ragnok," Luna began, "this parchment, along with yourself, mentioned a bodyguard of some form. Has that been in effect for the last week?"

"It has," the goblin stated, wondering why Mister Potter blushed. "You have been watched over by Shadow Walker. He is my most elite soldier. He has alerted me that the two of you have assisted Mister Potter in the past week, which is why we already had a seat for you, Miss Lovegood, and why we made sure to step in when Mister Dumbledore showed up. He had been sending several automatic portkeys, set to activate with Mister Potter's touch."

"What!" Hermione glared at the door where she suspected Dumbledore had last been when they left him and turned back to an amused Ragnok. "How many of those had he sent?"

"Three. Shadow Walker destroyed each of them and sent the owls back to Hogwarts."

"Why that little son of a-"

"Well!" Harry rushed to interrupt his bushy-haired friend as she turned in her seat.

"I'll ram my wand so far up his bony arse that it'll-"

"So those portkeys-" Harry rushed loudly, trying to cover up Hermione's furious ranting.

"MURDER!"

"Hermione!" He interrupted his bushy-haired friend, getting a fierce glare in return. Ragnok was amused as all hell. He _liked_ this girl! "At least they were destroyed, we'll see what we need to do later. So what would you like to see happen?" Harry asked, curious to see what the goblin wanted.

"Originally, we were speaking with Mister Black to determine where and what best to help you with if you accepted our request. However, with the inclusion of Miss Lovegood's rather interesting spell, we may be able to come to a much more agreeable plan."

"Huh?" Harry asked, confusedly, looking at Luna who blushed lightly.

"I released a spell from my ... library. Hermione has helped me adapt it slightly in an attempt to give us much more _time_ that we can use to train with."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked again, looking this time to Hermione.

"A time dilation spell, Harry. It is a very unique spell that we think can help us by allowing us several months of training time inside while outside, only a little while will pass."

Harry's eyes widened as he realized the full impact of what they were saying. "You mean like your time-turner?"

"Yes," Hermione said, chewing on her bottom lip. "But not quite the same."

"Indeed," Ragnok broke in, getting bored with the boy's lack of understanding. He would have to figure out a way to get the bushy-haired one angry again. "The requirements for any feasible time are rather extreme, and would be even far more expensive, but if you are willing to agree to trying to help us, I think we can help you create this spell. I will require having my spell crafters look over your work to make sure it is safe and the requirements are as you suspect, however. I do not want to risk something disastrous. You need not worry, however. The particular nature of your spell means we, as a nation, will never have a viable use for it, and I assure you, we will not take or modify the spell for our own use or to sell."

Luna nodded, shivering slightly as she lost control over one of her family's most valuable spells. She knew the power requirements were extreme. It was designed that way for a multitude of reasons. Not to mention it made the spell at its most effective. However, for what they planned, and situations like it, it would be an impressive advantage. "Thank you," she whispered.

Ragnok nodded, knowing the truth behind the spell. Goblins were much the same, though with things that were combat-oriented such as blacksmithing techniques, weapon forging guides and the occasional bit of magic, so he knew what she felt at that moment. "With this spell, and an appropriate number of goblins to cast and power the field, it should allow you possibly years of training. The particulars regarding how much and for how long, it seems, would be based on the size of the field, the amount of life within and its duration."

"That is about what we were hoping for, yes," Luna said, fidgeting nervously as Harry looked at her with a critical eye.

"So, you and Hermione want us to go into this time field thing and train for up to years?" He asked, getting a nod. "Where? How? Why weren't you telling me that until now?"

Hermione grabbed Harry's wrist gently, getting his attention and calming him down slightly as he saw her nervous expression. "We were just going to ask and see how much he may charge us for enough goblins to do this. We weren't going to set anything up right now. We just wanted to get all the information we could before bringing it up so we could answer as many of your questions as possible."

Harry blinked at Hermione for several seconds before nodding once and squeezing both girls' hands to show he was not angry with them. A little confused, but not angry, and it was very much in Hermione's nature to learn as much as she could with Luna very possibly being the same with her being a Ravenclaw. "It's alright. I understand. But I'm not sure I can stick around Luna's home for a few years. It's a great home," he rushed to say, holding his hands up in a defensive gesture as Luna smirked amusedly, "but I think I'd end up going stir-crazy."

"I believe, Mister Potter, that one of your new homes is quite large and extensive. Potter Manor, I believe, was rebuilt some nine hundred years ago with the expectation of housing all of the Potters and their family as they were in perilous times. We were hired to fortify it at that time and did so through various stages of its creation." Ragnok searched through a set of papers as he spoke before finding one near the end and handing it to Harry, showing a picture of an extremely large building that looked more like it was designed as a resort than a manor.

"It's beautiful," Hermione said with a little shock. Her parents took her to places like that on holiday, but to have a place like that to call home? It was absolutely gorgeous.

"Yes, it is," Ragnok said with a smile. "While the architecture is different than our own, the craftsmanship that went into that home was phenomenal. But it is quite large, has a good-sized library and extensive grounds. While you may still get a little ... 'stir-crazy', was it? You will have a large amount of space to frolic and run free," Ragnok flipped his hand unconsciously, using terms more suited for a pet than a human. "It was built to last a siege using wards and natural defenses as opposed to walls, though those can still raise from the ground if our records are correct."

"Now, let us discuss the terms of our agreement and how we can help you with this time-dilation spell."

xXxXxXx

Alastor scanned himself for another spell, still coming up negatively as Albus stepped through the floo, his face exceptionally grim until he noticed Moody sitting there and did a double-take.

"Alastor, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Diagon Alley keeping an eye out for Harry's arrival?" The old man asked with a slightly accusing air. He had fully expected the man to catch Harry and have him delivered to the Dursleys' by that point.

"I don't know," Moody grunted, scanning with a renewed vigor. "One minute, I'm in the Alley, keeping an eye on the goblins stationed around the place, I see Potter and then I'm looking up goblin tactics in my security room," he said, refusing to call it what everyone else did. A 'panic room'. "The little bastards got me! I don't know how, but they got me!"

Albus drew his eyebrows together as he sat, focusing on this new problem. The goblins were apparently working against him, now. They would not allow him the opportunity to sit and advise Harry while he was receiving his items and such during the reading. Nor would they let him sit in Harry's place, even going so far as to work with Sirius and emancipate the boy! It was not right. Harry needed guidance. He could not be permitted to run around freely without being properly handled, otherwise, he could easily turn dark or learn things he should not.

"I understand your plight, my friend. I just returned from the Ministry and it would appear as though Sirius had taken motions to have Harry emancipated immediately upon his death. Even though I had the full Wizengamot grant me custody, it appears that is now worthless as it was actually a change in guardianship and I cannot legally become his guardian now that he has his Lordship. It would seem even now, after death, it would be foolish to battle wits with a Marauder. They fight dirty."

"Can you not revoke it? You're the Supreme Mugwump and head of the Wizengamot. Surely you've got the power to do that?" Moody asked as he finally stopped checking for spells and took a swig from his hip flask that was newly filled with pain reliever.

"No, I cannot," Dumbledore sighed. "He was legally Harry's guardian and, even though he was convicted, albeit illegally, he pushed through paperwork to grant Harry his Potter Lordship. It was ingenious, really. Harry could take the mantle up from his eleventh year and be free of any form of control, but would still require a guide. While he officially has no guide, he no longer needs one now that he is fifteen. So I am at a loss of how to get him back on our side." Dumbledore ate a lemon drop that was laced with a calming draught. While he normally gave them to nervous students, they worked just as well when he was frustrated as well.

"Have you considered just grabbing the boy and putting him under compulsion charms? You already said he needs to be weakened, so the long-term affects they would have on him won't affect him negatively. Memory loss, a fierce devotion to some abstract concept and absent-mindedness may seem out of place with him, but it'd get you what you want," Moody suggested, more to sound helpful than anything else. He knew Albus would not actually put the boy under the charms. Molly had been doing it for years to Arthur and look at how _he_ turned out!

"No, Alastor. I am afraid I cannot. His mind is too strong for anything subtle and he could fight even the strongest I could cast on him giving time for assistance now that the goblins are helping him. I am unsure of what their motivation is, but it is too risky. We cannot allow them leverage over us or give Harry cause to mistrust us any more than he already appears to. That aside, I've tried a few in the past and he shattered them quite effectively and it didn't take him long at all."

"Then what's your plan, Albus?" Moody asked after a brief silence.

"I am unsure. I will take what opportunities arise to bring Harry back to the correct path, but for now, I am inclined to give him his freedom for this summer and simply keep an eye on him. Should something come up where I can impress upon him our needs, then I will, of course, take it. Sadly, there is very little I can do until a situation comes up that grants me the chance to do something about him."

"It isn't too likely with the goblins watching him. You'd be better off sending your overgrown canary off to get him and bring him back here."

"I tried," Dumbledore said with a guilty and sheepish wince. "I attempted to send Fawkes off with a letter I had turned into a portkey, but he would not go. He has grown fond of Mister Potter and seems to enjoy watching him. He's been doing it often this past year and a half."

"That's odd," Moody said, looking at the sleeping bird. Normally, he did whatever Dumbledore asked of him. Sure, Albus had briefed him on the bird's actions during the boy's second year, but a phoenix was a purely light creature. Helping Potter stop a creation of pure evil was something that was practically ingrained into the giant buzzard. But refusing his keeper and watching the boy? He called the youngest Weasley a stalker for less. Granted, he saw her put that hole in the shower to watch the boy, but he could at least appreciate her reasons. She was young and enjoyed the show. The bird was just creepy.

"Indeed," Albus said with a twinkle in his eye. "I think Harry amuses Fawkes. He's shown me several occasions he has watched Harry and his owl interact and many times Harry has been working in the Dursley's flowerbeds. It was how I learned Mister Potter enjoys gardening so much."

Moody quirked an eyebrow at his long-time friend, wondering what he was on about. He and many of Potter's watchers knew he was forced to do the outside work. While he may enjoy it, there was certainly nothing to suggest that he did. Herbology was a required course until a student passed their OWL's, so that certainly was not anything special or meaningful.

xXxXxXx

The Weasley family was huddled right in front of their vault door to get the best glimpse of their newest additions to their galleon family. They had to scrape and scrounge for every little bit that they could in the past to make ends meet and this was like a god send to them. They could fix problems with their home and get school texts that didn't have pages ripped out.

As the door fully opened, they gasped at the golden glow that piles of coins cast on them, as if welcoming them with their own comforting embrace. As one large, huddled mass, they walked into their vault, making their goblin guide wonder if he should just shut the door, and stood around the pile of golden coins.

Molly was the first to reach out and pick up a coin with a hesitant hand, almost afraid they would all disappear the moment the illusion was shattered and smiled at the familiar, heavy weight, unknowing that her hair turned blonde, though the twins looked at each other and grinned.

Ginny couldn't help herself and rushed forward, giggling like mad and picked up a coin in each hand, turning to her family with a smile as her skin turned neon purple with green and yellow polka dots as her nose turned into a red, squeaky clown nose. "No more hand-me downs!" She cried out gleefully as Molly looked at her with a warm smile, which turned into a startled squawk.

"He's pranked the coins!" The twins cried out happily, hugging each other as the spirit of the Marauders lived on in their very own Gringotts vault!

"Ron, no!" Molly wailed, seeing it was already too late as the boy ran, jumped and was already in the air over the pile of galleons with a goofy smile on his face, landing on top as he began to do a backstroke as if he were swimming in galleons. Slowly, the whole family backed away from him.

Ron stopped in mid-stroke and looked at them oddly for a moment as his face contorted into one of confusion as his stomach bubbled and gurgled. "Well that feels weird," he said, just before the Loose Bowels jinx kicked in, followed by over two hundred jinxes that all fought for dominance until a strange sort of equilibrium was obtained and they all settled, beginning to take turns.

His voice changed every second from one language to another and between animals while his entire body shifted colors like a miasma that couldn't stop coalescing. He aged and became younger while various appendages grew and shrunk before changing into a completely different mammal and going through it all over again.

When he turned into a skunk, his family took another step back. There was no telling what would come out. But they were pretty sure it wasn't what they were expecting.

They were wrong.

xXxXxXx

"We should have an answer for you in three days' time, Miss Lovegood. Will that be adequate?" Ragnok asked while straightening all of the paperwork on his desk and making a quick note on the copy of the spell parchment the blonde had given him.

"That would be wonderful, thank you Liege Lord Ragnok," she said with a smile, making sure her teeth were visible. To not show teeth was a goblin insult, who prided themselves with fearsome, razor-sharp teeth. Most people assumed not showing them was appropriate as they considered goblins nothing but smarter animals, and baring teeth was meant as a warning in the animal world. To goblins, who prided themselves in a warrior heritage, it was a sign of respect. Of a lack of fear reserved for allies, business partners and friends.

"Should your arithmancy prove accurate, then we should have an excellent number of available goblins for you. I know I can have approximately ten thousand goblins ready by that time. More or less depending on precisely when you wish to cast the field."

Harry looked between the others with confusion as Luna smiled and thanked the goblin ahead of him. The last few hours had been almost as much as he could understand as they spoke about their new alliance. Thank God for Hermione and Luna! Those two girls kept him up with the conversation and broached subjects he would not have considered for weeks! Had he been doing this alone, he knew he would have been overwhelmed long ago.

With final farewells, the three left the office and had taken only a few steps before Luna gasped in relief and leaned against the wall. "Bloody hell!" She turned an exasperated expression to the other two who looked at her in shock as she smiled wanly. "Harry, you don't do anything half way, do you?"

"Huh?" Both muggle-raised asked as one while Luna urged them forward.

"That was Oorlog Ragnok. He's basically the goblin king and rules over all of the goblin tribes in Europe and about a third of Asia, excluding some rogue factions that are rumored to exist. If placed beside Dumbledore and Fudge, he has more power than both combined, politically, at least. I have no way of knowing, but I am sure he would be near Dumbledore's level of magical strength if not passing it."

"I see," Hermione said, impressed despite herself. "Is that why you kept calling him Liege Lord? Because he was king? Why not king, then?"

"While he is a king, the word is human. Liege Lord is more appropriate because the goblins are a race whose history is prided on their prowess as warriors. Their strongest would be titled after wartime labels, especially while allying themselves into a war. I'm actually surprised you didn't take my numerous hints and use the same title I called him," she said, eying them both. That would have to change if they were to continue working together.

As they stepped outside of Gringotts, they made their way back to Madam Malkin's, following Luna's lead who planned to take the portkey back until Hermione spoke up, looking at Harry. "So, we're going to do this? You're okay with this training thing?"

Harry was silent for a moment as he thought, nodding the whole time without really realizing it. "I guess so, yea. I mean, I just about need it. And, owning all of the Black property, we can take all of the books from Headquarters and put it in the new house so we can learn that and stuff. I didn't really catch everything you said about it, but if you think we should, then I trust you. Both of you," he said, smiling at both girls.

"You realize that we will probably be in the field for several years if Ragnok's estimates on his numbers are accurate, don't you?" Luna asked, looking at the others carefully. "Once this is done, we won't be able to stop until it is completed. Basically, the field cannot be ended."

"I understand," Harry said. "But like I said, I trust you. And it certainly won't be a chore to live with you two for that long."

"How many years do you think we'll be in?" Hermione asked as they came up to Madam Malkin's and hid in the alley while Luna pulled out the portkey.

Luna tapped the portkey as they all grabbed it and appeared back in her living room in another heap, this time both girls were sprawled across Harry who moaned pitifully underneath of them with crossed eyes. Someone's elbow had found his stomach.

"It would depend on how many people we take with us and how many goblins Ragnok obtains," Luna said after standing and helping both of the others to their feet. They walked into the kitchen as they continued speaking, the girls setting the table while Harry pulled out things for sandwiches.

"Would ... Well, do you think it would be okay if we brought our parents with us?" Hermione asked nervously. "I know it will take away time for us to train with, but we can always try it again if we need to, but I don't really want to spend years away from them. I know we'll change a bit while we're in there and that we need to train, but they-"

"Hermione," Harry interrupted her, grabbing her shoulder and squeezing firmly. "This is yours and Luna's idea. Whoever you think we should bring, we can bring. I mean, we'll need people to help us learn since we can't really expect to learn everything on our own, so a few extra won't matter."

Hermione smiled brightly and kissed Harry on the cheek before hugging him tightly while Luna put the last plate down and offered her own thoughts. "To be honest, I would like to bring Daddy in as well. He is a bit odd at times, but he spent time working with Unspeakables even though he wasn't officially one. He is also one of the foremost experts on the Hallows and could use that time to study them and tell us what he finds."

Hermione pulled away from Harry and looked at Luna with shocked eyes before turning back to Harry, finally letting go with a blush before shaking her head and asking, "wait, where _are_ the Hallows? I can't remember what happened to them after ... whatever happened back there."

Harry frowned and thought back, trying to remember but not able to. "You know, I'm not sure. I just know that, if I need them, I can call out for them and they'll be there. Kind of like Fawkes. I think he likes spending time with Hedwig, though."

"Do you know what happened in Gringotts, Harry?" Luna asked, ignoring the comment about Harry's familiar and beginning to make the sandwiches with the others' help.

"Well, the voices came back as soon as I touched the wand," he said slowly and quietly, thinking carefully about what he remembered, even if he could not figure out where the items themselves went. "There were millions of them, all trying to be heard over the others. I couldn't really tell what they were saying. I know some of them were asking for things and some were telling me things. But I couldn't really make any of it out. I just ... I don't know, _felt_ it, I guess. Just like with the Hallows themselves."

"What do you mean the Hallows?" Hermione asked as Luna continued slicing tomatoes. Luna knew already.

"The Hallows don't really give words, but impressions," he told her. "It's like holding a conversation without actually using words. I just _know_ what they are trying to tell me. But, I can't seem to really understand them yet. It's ... I don't know. Garbled, I suppose. I can feel them in the back of my mind. It's like they're there, just outside of focus, but the moment I look for them, they're gone."

Hermione bit her lip in thought as they sat at the table. She took the time to put her crisps underneath the bread as part of her sandwich to think before asking, "do you think you know what kind of powers they may have given you? Or what that ball of light was in your hand? Or what you were doing when you were walking to Dumbledore?"

Harry smirked at Hermione as she fell back into a form of her that he knew and understood. The Hermione that wanted to be a part of a relationship with him and another girl, one that did _that_ earlier in the morning, was unknown and different. This Hermione, the one who questioned everything fervently, was his Hermione. The one he was familiar with. "I know about as much as you do regarding powers. I was aware of what was happening with Dumbledore, but it was like I was on autopilot. Some part of me felt that he had to ...," Harry trailed off as he searched for the proper term, but shook his head and went with the closest thing he could think of, "understand, I guess is the word I can say, or atone. He had to know something, but I'm not totally sure what. And I don't know what the ball was. Just that it worked deeper than normal."

"Deeper?" Luna asked, curious. That was an unnatural term to use for magic, even for her.

Harry just shrugged helplessly. "It's the closest I can think of, sorry."

"So, do you think the voices from the past week was leading up to this?" Hermione asked, looking more to Luna than Harry since she seemed to have known more about them than would be considered normal the day before. Seeing that, Harry looked to Luna as well.

"It certainly makes the most sense, though I'm unsure of how or why. Harry was already the Master of one of the Hallows. Perhaps they were sentient enough to realize they were about to gain a new master? I don't know." Luna shrugged as if to emphasize her point.

"No one has ever been known to be the Master of all three Hallows, before. Not even the three Peverell brothers who first had the items. Therefore, no one knows anything about what they truly do. Only the items themselves are known since they were owned individually at different times. The wand is supposedly incapable of loss while in a duel, but that is the only way to win it, as we saw with Dumbledore. The stone, we know, can bring back the spirits of those who are departed, but it causes them extraordinary pain to be in this Realm and the cloak is true invisibility while covered. We know those things, but there are no obvious ways they can interact with one another and no fourth item that we know of that they could act as keys to, so there is no great machine. We just simply do not know."

The trio ate quietly for several minutes before Harry decided he wanted to discuss the more interesting topic again. Definitely more fun. "So, this time field thing. We don't know how long it will last, but we want us, your parents and people to train us. We should probably figure out who else to bring in and how to get Ron and the twins brought up to speed."

Luna shivered violently, but managed to hide it from the other two. A feeling of dread filled her to the brim as she thought of the twins or most especially the youngest Weasleys knowing about this, much less coming in on it. Eight in ten of the visions she saw, they were bad people. They worked for the light, but they worked for themselves first and foremost. Molly was a woman who got what she wanted, and had her two youngest children under her thumb, along with her husband, and the elder children felt family was the most important thing, so long as no one got caught.

All of the Weasley children except Ron and Ginny had goals in life that they went after and knew what they wanted to do. They got hand-me downs, yes, but they worked for goals that gave them a form of independence that made them their own people. Ron and Ginny, however, got those same hand-me downs and saw only that. They hated it. They hated being the youngest and everything. In Ron's case, it was the youngest son of five. In Ginny's case, she was the only girl, so she got newer and nicer things, for the most part. She was, simply put, a spoiled brat in terms of affections and getting what clothes she wanted, even if not new. Being her babies, Molly wanted to give them whatever she could.

"We should keep as few people as possible in the know, Harry," Hermione said, getting a happy Luna dance in the blonde's head in gratitude. "We should only tell the people we plan to try and bring in, and telling Ron would tell all of the Weasleys, and then Molly would demand to go in with us. We can't allow that, because it would bring in her, Arthur, Ginny, Ron, the twins, and who knows who else. She'll also try to restrict what we learn and what we do. We have to be very careful." She refused to admit that it was also because the woman would claim Potter Manor as her house and keep them separated or try to get Harry with Ginny, at least a little.

"She's right," Luna quickly agreed. "Anyone who knows about this who isn't going in is someone that Dumbledore can get the information out of. We must approach each person individually."

Harry looked at both girls and nodded, Sirius' words coming to him from the letter. It would be an easy way to decide who to start out with, too. Just the people he was going to talk to. "Alright. You two are the smart ones and it's your spell, Luna. So I'll take your word for it. I can't really make you do something you don't want to do with it and I'm needing the help. So, who do we want to bring in on this thing?"

"Well, the three of us, our parents, preferably Professor Lupin," Hermione counted off on her fingers.

"Don't forget Ragnok wanted to offer us one of his best warriors to teach us how to fight magically and physically and one of their best medics who could teach us the mind arts as well medic training and to patch us up if we need it." Luna pilfered one of the tomatoes Harry left on his plate as she replied. She did enjoy fresh tomatoes.

"That's good. I wouldn't have even considered medical needs. Well, Moony was always the best Defense Professor we've had, so I'm sure he can teach us a bunch, and he's really smart, too," Harry said as he thought it through. "I guess we can ask him what he thinks about others."

"We should probably only get one more at most. We will be pressing things to get all of us inside and have any kind of decent training time," Hermione thought out loud while Luna nodded in agreement, her mouth too full to say anything.

"Perhaps we should write him a letter?" Luna asked finally.

xXxXxXx

"What's this all about, honey?" Emma asked as she sat down beside Dan on the arm of the couch while Harry and Hermione sat beside each other on the love seat in their living room. She took notice of the fact that Harry sat in the middle of his cushion, but Hermione sat almost right next to him. Curious.

"Mum, Dad, do you remember how I told you about all of the things that have been happening around the school and how that terrorist is causing a lot of problems in our world for people who aren't born of magical parents? Like racism and Hitler?"

"Oh thank God," her father said with a relieved sigh. "I thought she was going to tell us she was pregnant."

"DAD!"

Emma smacked her husband on the arm and turned to a bright red Hermione and pale Harry. She was not going to admit having similar thoughts with her daughter and a boy sitting them both down and being rather nervous. "What is it about this terrorist that you wanted to discuss?"

"Well, he's focused on Harry and those who are born to non-magical parents such as myself, as I've already told you. What I haven't told you is that Harry, a friend of ours and I have developed a magical method of giving us a chance to develop some skills so we can fight him if he ever comes for us."

"Why do _you_ have to fight? Why don't the magical authorities you've mentioned protect you?" Dan asked with narrowed eyes, causing Hermione to sigh.

"Did Hitler give the Jewish community the chance to defend themselves?" She asked rhetorically. "Simply put, I can't let someone else fight because the people in power are mostly sympathetic, even if not to the same degree."

Before Dan could open his mouth, Emma whacked him on the arm to shut him up and asked, "so what about this training? How long is it likely to last and where will it be occurring?"

Hermione took a breath before answering, steeling her resolve. "It'll be at one of Harry's family homes since it's large enough and will last for a while."

"What's a while," Emma asked, not happy with the way her daughter was side-stepping the question.

"Well, here's the thing," Hermione said with a rush. "Luna, who is the friend I'm talking about, has a spell that will create a time-nullification field that will drastically increase our temporal displacement so that we may spend years on the inside while only two weeks or so will pass on the outside," Hermione finished quickly as she chewed on her bottom lip nervously. "We were hoping that you may, that is, if you wanted to, perhaps come and spend it with us on the inside?"

Both of Hermione's parents looked at her with blank faces before turning to Harry. He really could not blame them. She had spoken rather quickly and used large words, so he thought he would clear it up. "She wants to make a time bubble. We will spend a couple of years inside while it's about two weeks to everyone else."

"Honestly," Hermione said with a huff. "That's exactly what I said."

Dan looked between Harry and Hermione before reiterating, just to be sure he understood. "So, you want us to go with you into this time bubble while you train for what will seem like years to us. Why? I mean, I am glad you're asking and not just going in, but why?"

Hermione shuffled her feet and seemed to lean in closer to Harry, hoping to draw a little strength from him before answering. Right now, she was the little girl deep inside of her heart and she was scared. She did not want to do this without her parents. They had always kept the monsters at bay when she was younger until she learned they did not actually exist. Now, after learning they did, in fact, exist, she wanted her parents there again. There was no bloody way she would say it like _that_ though! "We'll be spending about two and a half or more years inside of this, we expect. We're going to be learning a lot of things and I don't want to go into this without you two. I know we'll change at least a little with regards to our personality and, simply put, I don't like not having you guys around in the magical world."

"Don't get me wrong," Hermione continued, "the world is an amazing and wondrous place, but I haven't really had a chance to share it with you and I'm tired of spending so much time without you two in my life."

Emma hurled herself into her daughter's arms and cried unashamedly. Her one, biggest fear was that she was losing her daughter to this new, interesting world. Hermione had been spending so little time and home these past few summers, and leaving at increasingly earlier times, that she was all but sure they would be nothing more than a Christmas card soon. And now her wonderful, thoughtful daughter was inviting them into that world when she could ignore them as Emma had felt was the case more and more. She could not help it. The tears came.

"Thank you, Hermione, thank you," Emma mumbled over and over again into her daughter's chest as Dan watched with a warm smile and Harry tried to figure out what was going on, looking between father and daughter and hoping for some sort of explanation. He was sure the woman was going to kill either him or Hermione when she rushed them, but while confused, this was certainly a better outcome.

"It's okay, Mum. I know what you're feeling. I've overheard you and Dad talking recently," Hermione murmured into Emma's ear, causing the older woman to look up in shock. "Don't look so surprised," she said amusedly. "I've always been able to hear you guys from my room when you talk in here. Our walls _are_ a little thin and the vent from here and my room are built together, so I can hear just about everything."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Emma asked.

Hermione blushed and looked a little sheepish as Harry moved and allowed Emma to take his place. "What could I really say? I mean, looking back on it, you were right. I was leaving more and, while I wasn't forgetting about you, I was more concerned with what was happening in the magical world," Hermione said miserably. "I didn't know how to apologize for that or how to fix it. When this came up, I realized it could help."

Harry, realizing this was a deeper conversation than he could really help with, and more personal than something he should spy on, looked to Dan and motioned to the kitchen with his head. "Wanna help me get them something to drink?"

The older man simply nodded smiled. "Good idea. I think I could use a scotch. You ladies want anything?" Getting negatives, both males went into the kitchen, leaving Hermione with her mother.

"I'm so sorry I was ignoring you, Mum. I really didn't mean to," Hermione said thickly, her eyes watering as she saw how badly she had hurt her mother. She had been able to hold them back in front of Harry and her father, but there was no excuse or reason now. She felt horrible for treating her parents this way.

"It's okay, Honey," Emma said as she laughed in an odd sort of euphoria. Her baby was back! "You love us and want us with you," she let out a soggy, runny-nosed laugh. "I can't think of a better way to say that than this."

Hermione chuckled dryly. "Nothing says 'I love you' like spending time together in a time-dilation field." Both women laughed as utter relief flooded them and Harry and Dan came back with scotch and lemonade.

"Hermione, I was thinking," Harry said as they set the tray down. "While we're learning magic, they can't, so maybe we should see about picking up games, books, models and anything else we can think of. We will need stuff for down time anyway and this will give us something to work on besides supplies."

Hermione nodded. "Good idea. I hadn't really thought past the 'get our duckies in a row' stage, yet. Food, potion ingredients and training materials were about it." She turned to both of her parents and looked at them with nervous eyes. "So, are you two going to go with this?"

"Of course we are!" Emma near shouted, not even bothering getting an answer from Dan. If he was against it, she would knock him out and drag his carcass with her if necessary! "Just let us know where we need to be and when, dear. Do you need us to get anything?"

Hermione shook her head negatively. "No, there's nothing I can think of that you'll need to get that Winky or Do-," she suddenly cut off and blushed. "Well, perhaps we should get enough feminine products to last us a few years."

Emma raised an eyebrow and looked at Harry who blinked curiously at them. It was both odd and comforting to know her male friend did not splutter when faced with feminine hygienic issues. Unless he was that dense. "I thought you told me in your first year they had charms to help with those issues."

"They do," Hermione said as Dan caught on and began to redden and eye Harry like a hawk. "But I'm worried that those alone won't be enough. I just want to be sure. I've never heard of anyone trying them on muggles before, and I don't know if you'd want to let me know every time you started," she said, not catching Emma's curious looks at Harry.

"Question," Dan finally said, and wanting to change the subject before the boy got any ideas in that head of his, "where are you going to get the food and money for the things you need for however many people for three or more years?"

"That's actually my field," Harry said, happy to contribute. "The house is mine and very large, so we won't be stuck in the same area for a long time. We've got the room and will store food from everywhere, really. I've got a lot of money and we'll be using that to buy whatever we need. I've got two friends, Dobby and Winky, who are getting help from a couple hundred of their friends from Hogwarts, who are going to get food for us. Lots of meats, vegetables and dairy and the like so we won't be without anything. Magic can make sure that nothing spoils and stays as fresh as the day we bring it in. If you can make a list of things to pass time like games, books and maybe movies that can be played on a film projector or something that doesn't require electricity, then we can see if we can get it to work around magic and that way, we'll have something to do to pass the time when training gets to be too much. Same with any foods you like or are allergic to, records you like since I know I can get a phonograph or whatever you want, just name it."

Harry looked to his watch and sighed, looking between Hermione and her mother. "It's time to meet Remus. Do you want to stay here and answer whatever questions they have? If they're anything like you, they'll have a lot that I can't really understand, much less answer," he said with a half smile.

Hermione looked back and forth between her parents and Harry before making a decision. "I rather think I should. Take Luna with you, though. Remus will ask a lot of questions and she understands the mechanics of the spells better than anyone and she and I have spoken about our own ideas together on this."

Harry nodded and left, leaving Hermione and her parents before Emma smiled devilishly and looked at her daughter. "So, is _he_ a reason for going into this thing?"

"MOM!"

"EMMA!"

Oh yea, Dan was in the room.

xXxXxXx

"Dobby! Winky!" Harry watched as both elves popped into Luna's living room, both looking happier than he could remember either being in the past. Dobby was happy enough to be hired right away, but they wound up having to bind Winky to Harry as a slave like most house elves. The poor girl had gone into hysterics when they tried to tell her what they were hoping for and Hermione allowed it, mainly because they needed the help and the elf was absolutely miserable at Hogwarts.

"You called, Master Harry?" Dobby and Winky asked in a creepy stereo effect.

"Yes. Hermione and I were talking with her parents who agreed to join us, and we realized they wouldn't have much to do without being able to learn magic. So, while the other house elves from Hogwarts are helping to deliver the food to Potter Manor and clean it out of any unwanted guests, I'd like the two of you two find any games, music, especially vinyl records and possibly a phonograph to play them on if you know where to get one, maybe movies and a projector to play them on, muggle books to read, models to build and other things so that everyone has something to do, alright? And don't forget yourselves. Anything you think you may enjoy, get it as well, alright?"

The two elves were getting so many orders that day and had so much to do that they did not feel the need to thank their new master profusely any longer. Instead, they just simply decided to confirm their orders. Even if they _did_ have matching maniacal grins.

"Okay, so Dobby and Winky is supposed to be getting enough foods to feed twenty people for five years and stores it all safely aways in Potter Manor. We is also supposed to be getting as much potions ingredients as we can for practice on and all the healing potions in the first twenty apothecaries that we is finding unless we is not thinking it is enough, we is also supposed to be going to all Black and Potter properties and be getting all books and all of the items we can find and bring them to Potter Manor except for furniture and clothes, then we is to be finding those things you just mentioned so you is not getting bored, right?" Dobby asked, pulling out a memo pad from only he knew where and making a few scratches that apparently meant something to him.

"That's right. And don't forget, if there is anything you think we will want or need, that you have my okay to get it."

Winky nodded rapidly and raised her tiny hand. "And it is being okay for us to be going out into the muggles world as long as we have glamors on, right?"

Harry nodded as Luna led Lupin into her home instead of meeting elsewhere for dinner as they had planned. "That's right. I trust your judgement. Just remember that they don't accept galleons and have Gringotts change whatever money you need from my account. Make me proud, you two." Both elves grinned in happy delight and popped away with their new orders.

"Hello Harry," Remus said with a warm smile. "Luna's letter said to come here for your talk?"

"And dinner, yes," Harry agreed. "We've actually got a lot more to talk about than I thought initially. Hermione's at her place right now with her parents to explain things to them and answer their questions, but Luna will do more for you than I will, really."

"What do you mean?" Remus asked as Luna and Harry led him into the kitchen where the table was already filled with a rich, hearty stew. Luna wanted to get rid of as many of the vegetables in her garden as she could before they left and Harry had no problems accommodating her.

Xenophilius walked in with a smile and hugged at his daughter, scratched Harry behind the ear and shook Remus' hand. "Ah! Good, I'm not late! The name's Xenophilius Lovegood, but most folks call me Xenophilius Lovegood."

The group sat at the table where a rather large platter of chicken was attacked by Luna and Harry almost immediately, surprising Remus as he looked around confusedly. "Harry? What's this all about?" He asked.

Harry swallowed and set his chicken down. "There's no simple way to say it, so I'm going to just be blunt and then answer your questions." He sighed and sat back, looking Remus square in the eye.

"Luna has contracted the goblins to perform a spell that will create a bubble in time around Potter Manor where she, Xenophilius, Hermione, her parents, myself, a goblin warrior and medic and hopefully you, will stay for a few years' time while two weeks pass on the outside world of the bubble. We plan to train in everything we can get our hands on and learn to fight from the goblin warrior Ragnok is giving us and we would like you there to help teach us some more battle-worthy magic. Do you think you'd be willing to help us out and go into this thing with us?"

The chicken leg in the werewolf's hand plopped back onto his plate and he blinked, not even closing his open mouth. "You want me to be a bubble boy?"

xXxXxXx

_Harry Potter Foils You-Know-Who at Ministry!_

_By Rita Skeeter_

_Recently, this reporter learned that the emergency at the Ministry of Magic just over a week ago was actually the return of You-Know-Who! Sources in the Ministry were overheard talking about the major battle at the Department of Mysteries where Harry Potter (16) and five of his friends, mere school children, faced down Voldemort's entire Inner Circle and did not sustain even one loss while capturing all of the Death Eaters save Bellatrix LeStrange and You-Know-Who himself!_

_It was proven that You-Know-Who has, indeed returned and that The-Boy-Who-Lived has been telling the truth this whole past year. This raises serious questions about why Potter's words went unheeded and why he was scorned throughout the whole of the last year and why the Ministry has held this information back for a whole week, only coming to light in thanks to this reporter's incredible sources._

_It is unclear as to what You-Know-Who was after, but it is assumed he was after the large number of powerful artifacts within the building but was ultimately foiled by Potter and a group of children that he had trained himself during the last year. This goes to show that evil can not triumph over us while we have someone like Harry Potter on our side._

_It is not known why Potter had never come forward with evidence that proved his innocence or why this information is only now coming out after a week after everything had taken place, but we assume ..._

"Bella, Wormtail," Voldemort hissed as he tossed the Daily Prophet to the side. He waited only long enough for his two servants to come and kneel before he continued, letting his anger simmer underneath his calm exterior.

"The sheep know of my return and are told to place their trust in Potter. I want them to remember why it is me they should fear in the dark."

Bellatrix LeStrange shivered in glee as her master's words caressed her inner sadist's pleasure center. "What do you desire of us, my lord?"

"Destroy their spirit. Destroy their hope."

xXxXxXx

Harry awakened slowly, trying to sit up and feeling a heavy weight on his chest. He looked down and saw Luna had forgone her own bed and chose to sleep in his cot again and was now snuggled up on his chest, sleeping soundly and covered in a new set of pajamas that had her looking a little like a squirrel, complete with lots of brown, a soft, bushy tail and a hood she could pull up that had large, creepy eyes and whiskers.

She had stayed up later than Harry and finalized details of when to meet and what Remus needed to gather for himself for several years' worth of training and some galleons, which were refused until she tricked him by saying he was effectively working for Harry, now, so was expected to get paid. It was just getting paid up front.

And apparently, she found a more comfortable spot than her own bed.

Smiling, he shuffled over so that she was where he had been and was laying in the left over warmth while he went to relieve himself and hopped into the shower, casting a silencing charm on the door so he wouldn't wake the sleeping blonde up and only then turned on the water.

As Harry soaped up and washed his hair and body, he considered their conversation the night before. Remus had thought the whole thing as some kind of prank at first and tried to make light of it, but when Xenophilius explained that it used to be a family spell, he immediately became as serious as he was when he was teaching Harry the Patronus charm.

Harry also noticed Remus looked a little upset that Harry didn't seem to appreciate Luna's help for some reason, but got into the discussion soon enough that Harry decided to ignore it and talk to him about it later.

Harry sighed and tilted his head back so the spray of th shower hit his face and thought about what Luna was doing for him and couldn't help but let out a snort of amusement before coughing as he accidentally breathed in some water.

Sneezing, he realized that it was somehow the exact type of thing that he needed, desperately, and as she had done throughout the school year, she somehow popped out of nowhere and helped him in a way no one else could. From what he understood, this spell was beyond extraordinary and incredibly valuable as it was something no one else had and was apparently something the goblin king promised would remain her own.

The shower curtain moved to the side and Luna stepped in, as naked as she was the previous seven mornings before closing the curtain and pinning Harry to the wall with the closeness of her naked body. Harry's eyes bugged and he pressed himself against the wall and spluttered. "L-Luna!"

"Good morning, Harry!" She said, smiling happily as she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Turn around," she ordered, stepping back and motioning for him to get back under the water.

"What?"

"I said turn around. I'll wash your back."

"But you're naked!" He said, not willing to move in fear of touching something he shouldn't yet and doing the best he could to look only above her neck.

"Of course I am," she said simply. "It would be silly to shower with your clothes on. Now turn around." She held up a loofah that he hadn't noticed before, making him wonder exactly where she had it hidden as he was smacked with it once in the shoulder and mindlessly followed Luna's order.

"Er, this is really weird," he said hesitantly. "And uncomfortable. How did you hear me? I put up a silencing charm on the door."

Luna began to scrub Harry's back, smiling devilishly. She finally got her way! And _wow_ did he have a tight bum! It took everything she had to keep her hands on her loofah handle and not molesting him. "You'll get used to it, don't worry. And I knew the same way I did every morning; I got cold when you left, just as you had the first day."

"Oh," Harry said, blushing as she began to work her way lower. Knowing that there was a pretty blonde behind him, and unwillingly remembering the morning before when she and Hermione had surprised him in the most wonderful of ways was causing him to react once again.

Luna smirked as Harry maneuvered himself so she wouldn't see his erection and wrapped her arms around his chest, making sure to press her entire body against him. She was no longer under her oath to the brunette and was able to move as quickly as she wanted, so she felt safe enough to do this, especially as they already came to a mutual agreement.

"L-Luna?" Harry asked nervously, feeling her hands and breasts slide against his skin and becoming as nervous as he was excited.

"Thank you for trusting me," she said quietly, completely and totally confusing Harry as he turned to look at her.

"Well, I figured I ran every time you showed up until you and Hermione trapped me, and that turned out okay, so I figured the hardest part was over," he said, watching her smile grow as he spoke. He squeaked indignantly as she rolled her hips forward and rubbed herself against him.

"The hardest part apparently came back, but that isn't what I meant," she said, sighing as she pulled Harry into a hug with the same motion of rolling her hips and pleased to note he wrapped his arms around her. Hermione had trained him well, thus far. "I mean with everything. That, yes, but also this spell and going under it for so long without getting angry with me. I know you get upset when people do things without talking to you first."

Harry gently rubbed Luna's back unconsciously, an automatic action that he learned to do with Hermione over the past couple of years even if this did feel much different. "I trust you, just like I trust Hermione and Sirius. You've all tried to help me in different ways. Sometimes it could have been handled better, like Hermione in my third year, but it was always something to help me. And this is something I need to do. I've got years of knowledge to catch up on, not to mention experience, so I thank you for the help."

Luna smiled into Harry's shoulder and hugged him tightly, making him cough nervously. He'd get used to it, so it was okay. "I'm sorry I couldn't See a way to save him," she whispered. "I tried, looking at all sorts of different things, but they always ended even worse for more than just him or you would sacrifice yourself for him or something else equally horrible and-"

She stopped talking as Harry leaned down and kissed her gently. She moaned quietly in shock and pleasant surprise for the few seconds it lasted before Harry smiled at her and said, "don't be sorry, Luna. I don't expect you to help with everything. You've told me about how your Sight works, so I don't blame you or anything. And it's like you told me right after we got back to Hogwarts and Dumbledore got me," Harry said smiling at her, "those we care for never really leave us. I didn't really understand it before, but from yesterday and on, I could almost swear he was hanging around. I know he's gone, but it doesn't feel like it."

Luna smiled and tilted her head up to kiss Harry's neck, getting him to jump in surprise. "Perhaps later, you, Hermione and I can give him something to watch," she said suggestively.

"Ahhh," Harry gurgled, reacting once again to the images in his head and shamelessly prodding Luna in the leg.

Adequately pleased with herself, Luna smacked Harry in the side of the face with the loofah with a wet-sounding 'shplock' to get his attention. "Wash my back, Harry?" She spun around so the water was hitting her back and waited patiently as Harry stared at the loofah and then Luna's glistening backside.

xXxXxXx

An hour later, Hermione showed up at Luna's home after taking the Knight Bus and was shown in by Luna who led her to the kitchen where breakfast was sitting on the table, noting Luna's dad had left early as well that day. Her own father and Remus had both gone out, along with a large suitcase that was literally filled to the brim with pounds, and began buying anything they could think of getting for themselves and the others during their time in the bubble. Remus had adamantly refused taking the money when Luna offered it to him until she pointed out that he would be training them in everything he knew, so it was more like an up-front payment instead. Between the two of them, they were planning on finding all the muggle field medicine kits they could, stuffed with the best they could find, muggle weapons that didn't depend on technology unless Dan got excited. It only happened a few times, and anything they could find that regarded stealth would be purchased if for no other reason than to have if needed, and help provide ideas if not.

They also got a huge list of books that were more advanced than their magical counterparts for gardening, cooking, muggle versions of magical fantasy books, romance novels and advanced psychology books for Emma when she mentioned the kids would likely have to deal with a lot of mental trauma, a film projector and reels of military training methods since Dan also wanted to get back into shape and had no way of knowing if he could handle the magical variants. He also stocked up on anniversary and birthday gifts for his wife. No point in not getting those reward kisses. He got some for others as well, but hoped most of them wouldn't be kissing him. He was worried his daughter planned something romantic with Harry, which he would fully support since the boy saved her life on a number of occasions and never had an ill word spoken in the letters, but that didn't mean he wouldn't make the boy scared as hell to think about it first.

Xenophilius was doing much the same, trying to get all of the magical oddities that he thought they would want or that Harry had asked him to find, such as a pensieve to share memories with the elder Grangers for the first hand knowledge, magical mirrors, new magical camping equipment, magical armors and weapons and other such things. The goblins had planned on getting those things for them as well, but they would all be goblin-made items while Xenophilius would find wizarding ones. Harry's hope was to mix them together and get something even better, or design something knew from both. Xenophilius also made it a point to send out urgent letters to his comrades in arms regarding the Hallows, giving them only enough information to realize he was serious and needed any and all information on what they thought would happen when all were combined. Many of them knew of the Wand being in Dumbledore's control and felt they could share their theories, but not leads or locations, which is exactly what Xenophilius had requested. He already had the largest amount of research in existence, some pilfered even from Dumbledore's experimenting on the Wand of Power by some of his daughter's invisible friends.

The day his daughter said one of her invisible friends got him a present and handed him a trunk that took every ounce of strength in her body to just try and move was the day his wife collected on a very, very, very, very ... _very_ long-standing bet. And he couldn't walk correctly for two weeks! But it was certainly worth it. He did hope his daughter hadn't inherited _all_ of her mother's gifts, however. Otherwise, he would have to have a very uncomfortable conversation at some point with a man that he had no knowledge of, whatsoever. If Dan were anything like his daughter Hermione, though, Xenophilius doubted neither he or Harry would come out of it alive. Angry fathers were like that. He certainly would if the boy hadn't made his daughter so happy.

Why the hell couldn't Harry have stayed a dog.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked, sitting down with Luna and pinching a sausage that had already become room temperature.

"He's decided to take Sirius' advice and look back on all of the people in his life before we fully agree on everyone to bring in and is outside sitting under a large oak tree while he thinks. I snuck into his shower and we talked a little before I convinced him to finally wash my back," Luna said with such a bright smile that Hermione couldn't help but chuckle, though she was curious about his thoughts on everyone he was going to think over. "But, we began to talk about Sirius and-"

"I didn't think he would want to bring him up for some time," Hermione said, awed at the blonde's ability and rather jealous she wasn't a part of it.

Luna shook her head and swallowed a piece of bacon. "It was a lot like the past week; his mind was a little preoccupied by the idea of sex to really concentrate on being upset. And he remembered what I told him when we returned to Hogwarts about how our loved ones never really leave us as long as we remember them. He isn't sure if that is what it is or not, but he feels as though he could feel Sirius with him and I suggested you, Harry and I put on a naughty show for him later."

"It could also be the Deathly Hallows that ... Wait, what?" Hermione asked, Luna's comments catching up to her.

xXxXxXx

Harry sighed again as he tried to classify each of the Weasleys in his life, having spent the last two hours trying to do so. Looking back throughout his life and over all of the odd circumstances gave him a unique view on everything up to this point in his life and he had been able to classify all of the people who held any strong and important roles except for the family of red heads.

He had actually tried for the third time when he heard leaves crunch and turned to see Hermione and Luna pause a respectful distance away, waiting to see what he would offer them. Smiling, he gestured with his head and they both came and sat on either side of him, leaning against both him and the tree.

"Luna and I talked about your day so far and what you're trying to do," Hermione began gently. She and Luna had decided that, when it came to Harry and the relationship he shared with them, or the one that they planned on trying to start, would be shared in full so that they could adjust to him accordingly so long as they didn't have to change who they were. They both wanted him and he needed them, so they felt the minor uncomfortable situations of talking between them for the sake of keeping things as clear and painless as possible would be worth it since it was really them making him try something that was outside of the norm for most boys, but most especially one that had little background in romance and relationships. "We were wondering if you needed to bounce ideas back and forth."

"That'd be lovely, thank you," he said with his smile still in place. Somehow, Hermione always knew, even if she didn't always have the means to help.

"So, what have you decided so far?" Luna asked, scooping at the air and and touching her shoulder. The other two hadn't learned to See them, yet, but soon, they would, and would realize that was her picking up one of her Nargle friends.

"Well, I can't make up my mind about the Weasleys at all, but they're the only ones I have left," he said, scowling forward at nothing.

"Why don't you tell us what you've decided so far, and we'll see if we can help you," Hermione said. "Maybe you aren't looking at things the same as we would, or have a wholly different perspective."

Harry nodded as both girls snuggled in, expecting an odd conversation. "Well, I decided to start from the beginning of my life and work my way forward and examine every major event in my life; why I was with the Dursleys, going to Diagon Alley the first time and every year and each summer. Then, I looked at everyone who was tied in any way to all of those things that were weird before looking to try and look at each person by themselves so I could think things through as clearly as possible," Harry said. Simply put, he made sure to see who could manipulate all of the really crappy situations he was in and saw how each person was tied to them, and then looked at the actions each person had taken throughout his time in the wizarding world.

"What have you decided, then?" Luna asked, much like Hermione, hoping to hear some insight into his life and those in it that had been hidden from them in some way. It was also curious to see how their views differed from his own. Harry had a unique way of looking at things that was almost as off kilter as Luna's, even if not as abstract. The way he looked at magic in general was a perfect example. People saw it as a tool, but he had explained it to the DA when asked how he learned things that were supposed to be complicated, and he explained how he didn't try to 'control' magic, but worked with it as if it were alive.

"Well, I started with the two of you since we're where we are at in the time-dilation stuff and because the two of you both want a relationship with me," he said, blushing slightly. "Hermione, you've always been by my side and, the only times you and I were at odds, it was because of third year when you brought the Firebolt to McGonagall's attention, didn't tell me and, realistically, it was the right thing to do. I saw that almost immediately but, like many other times, I let Ron cloud my judgement. He and Dumbledore were the causes of any other problems we had when you didn't talk to me a year ago when Dumbledore told you and Ron not to contact me during the summer. But you've always been there and always helped me, even when it went against everything you believed in; the rules in particular," he said, smiling as Hermione had the grace to blush.

"Luna, I haven't known you nearly as long, but we've talked about our histories during and after DA meetings. Yours is so similar to mine that I didn't have as much trouble talking about it as I would with someone else, even Hermione. You won't pity me, just like I don't pity you, we just ... kind of share in each others' pains and need to have friends. You've never been anything but helpful and honest with us, and that means a lot," he said, watching the girl's cheeks redden. Odd how it did that with a little praise, but she was as normal as ever when she got in the shower with him and was completely naked. "You stood by Hermione, me and the others at the Ministry and that automatically puts you in a good place with me."

"Thank you, Harry," Luna said, her cheeks pinker and unable to look at him or Hermione. For so long she had been alone, and after all of that time being mocked, ridiculed and tormented, she had finally found acceptance and friendship, finally having found validation in her life. She would have cried if it wouldn't cause Harry to lose focus.

"Then, looking at Dumbledore, I decided I can't trust him, even before the stuff I found out this summer," he said. "Way too much just doesn't add up when I look back on it. In first year, the tasks to get to the Philosopher's Stone were pathetically easy and only hard to us at the time; a chess set that an eleven-year old could win, which just happened to be my best mate's only expertise, a logic puzzle that was perfect for my other best friend, a troll that was proven after two months at Hogwarts could be defeated by two eleven-year olds with a starter spell or killed with a killing curse which is nothing to a dark wizard, a plant trap that, had I befriended Neville as I wanted to except Ron seemed disgusted with him would have been perfect for him and then a charmed and flying key that was the perfect set-up for the newest Seeker who had a year of practice under his belt. That's not even to say anything about how Quirrell was able to get past the chess set without having to beat the game or through the room with the charmed key that somehow made it back into the room."

Hermione and Luna stared in wide-eyed shock as they realized what he was saying. Luna had heard the story from Harry before, but not from such a cynical and outsider perspective while Hermione realized he was absolutely right. They were hard at the time, but would be almost anticlimactic if they were to try it again now.

"I wanted to bring McGonagall into all of this and maybe learn some advanced Transfiguration and how to be an animagus, but then I realized I can't really trust her, either," he said, getting a squawk of protest from Hermione.

"Harry! She's helped us loads!"

"She's also _not_ helped us loads," he said back at her gently, not wanting to get into an argument and stay calm, making her blink in confusion. "In first year, we tried to tell her about the Stone, but she completely ignored us and didn't even bother to find out both how we knew and what we thought was going on to see if it was even remotely possible, she just told us it was impossible and to leave, even threatening house points and detention. Not only that, she sent us into the bloody Forbidden Forest _knowing_, she _KNEW_, that there was something fast enough to kill unicorns and drinking their blood, which meant it was dangerous as all hell and wounded-"

"And everyone knows wounded animals are the most dangerous," Luna provided needlessly, seeing where Harry was going and seeing the dawning horror in Hermione's eyes.

"Exactly," Harry agreed. "And what's worse, Hagrid couldn't use magic to protect us from something that could obviously kill an incredibly light creature like a unicorn, which meant it had to be extremely dark. Unicorns move far faster than Hagrid, Fang is a known coward, and it was all of us, alone and untrained, in the forest. Hagrid even had me and Draco go off alone! That was awfully extreme and dangerous to do for simply being out after curfew, don't you think? Especially when we were saving Hagrid's job and keeping him from going to Azkaban by getting rid of that dragon."

Hermione swallowed thickly, beginning to wonder about her favorite teacher. She had really respected and looked up to Minerva McGonagall, but now? She would definitely be following Harry's lead and do this very same thing. "She was also the one who pushed for a time-turner for me, even though they're restricted and Dumbledore authorized it. I appreciate it, and I honestly knew I could handle it, but I don't know if that may be something she does for anyone or if she just likes me," she said with a slight blush. She had never really wondered how literal one could take the term 'teacher's pet'.

"And the one that pisses me off the most," he continued, "is that all of those in power and the faculty don't stop Draco from ranting about blood status, pureblood supremacy and allow him and others to use the foulest of hate words in the wizarding world, right around all of the other students and all of the faculty have to be able to hear them, McGonagall at least, because it seems to always been Snape, if anyone, who hears what is happening and deals with it, usually by assigning the other person who Draco is arguing with or insulting detentions or taking house points. The only time others have stood in is when things were about to escalate, which makes me not really trust any of the faculty."

Harry looked at Hermione and his glare made her fear for her favorite teacher. "The worst thing about all of it, though, is that Snape bandies out point reductions and detentions without doing anything but taking his Slytherins' words for it. The only time it failed is when others were around and they would contest it if anything happened. Have you ever noticed that?" He asked, looking at the two girls and getting negatives, unsure what he was talking about. "Well, in first year, Snape was one of Voldemort's Inner Circle, but he never learned Snape turned traitor on him, supposedly. But, with the Unicorn blood, getting other potions and stuff, he didn't do anything like that. Snape was, apparently, opposing Voldemort when Quirrell could have said Voldemort was possessing him, and the stone would have been gone. In second year, he stepped up in the hall when we got caught at the writing on the wall. Someone would just ask for veritaserum or checking our memories and it would be proven we were innocent, but Snape popped in before anyone could offer to do that, which makes him look like he isn't completely evil. He was even able to take my books because he claimed it belonged to the school and McGonagall didn't do anything for me when I brought it up then, either," Harry said, shaking his head.

"I'll never trust Snape and I don't know any Slytherins well enough to trust right now, but I know they can't all be evil. Their Quidditch team won't ever be trusted though," he said, scowling and making the two girls smile. Give it to Harry to hold a personal grudge against those who play his favorite sport dirty.

"Remus is good, both of your parents are good, Flitwick is unknown, really," Harry said, beginning to run through the others really fast. "I don't know about Pomfrey. There are things I think she should have been able to tell from all of those times she was working on me."

Neither girl felt like bringing up his family would be good, but both made mental notes and gave each other looks that said they would talk about it later.

"Neville is okay, but I honestly still don't know him too well, same with everyone else in the DA aside from Katie and Alicia and they're not close enough to worry about, really. There've been a few embarrassing and exposing times in the locker room, but nothing to suggest a reason to suspect them of anything but hating peeping toms and perverts. And then I have the Weasleys," he said with a sigh, not noticing the raised eyebrows of the two girls or that both suddenly began to feel a burst of jealousy of the older women.

"I'm worried about trusting the twins, because I know they should have been able to see Peter's name on the Marauders' map since he was there every year that they were and they said they got the map in their first year. I don't know if that is them, or if it may be something with Snape or Dumbledore, but I can't blindly trust them because of it, either."

"I'll admit that that's a pretty interesting problem," Hermione said, thinking it over. "But, even if they were against you for whatever reason, they wouldn't have any reason to hide that information from you."

Luna decided to speak up, considering one of the things she knew about the twins from a longer time knowing them, even if not on quite as friendly a basis as the other two. "Don't forget that they used the map to move about without getting caught or looking for particular people like Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall. While unlikely that they wouldn't notice in five years, it is a possibility all the same that they honestly and truly never saw him unless Percy carried him while they looked for him."

Both Harry and Hermione agreed, albeit somewhat grudgingly before Hermione pointed out another possibility. "He's also one of the ones who made the map, so he may have been able to hide from it, but had to actively do so in order to not be found since you caught him on it in third year. Since Scabbers was with Percy, and the twins would have looked out for him for sure, it's equally as likely as the twins being in on some conspiracy, even as children. We would have to ask Professor Lupin to know for sure about that."

"True," Luna chirruped. "What of the other Weasleys?"

Harry frowned and considered his words carefully. "Well, working from the bottom up, Ginny is okay, though she's an awful lot like her mum. And Molly is always talking about me being family and Ginny's said she finds how her mom dosed Arthur with Amortentia so he would be with her long enough to realize what kind of woman she was as romantic. I'm honestly worried about that, but only because it's obvious she has a big crush on me."

"You noticed?" Hermione blurted out before she could stop herself, immediately widening her eyes and covering her mouth with her hands.

Harry laughed and squeezed both girls to him in tight hugs. "It's too obvious for even _me_ to miss, Hermione. But she never talked to me in the beginning. Last summer was the first time she really sat and talked rather than just kind of sat around me in the kitchen at the Burrow. And then all of last year, she seemed to push as much power into all of her spells in the DA to try and show off as being really powerful when the others let the spells pull out the power they needed," he said with a shrug. "I think she's trustworthy, but have nothing to base it on other than having nothing to prove otherwise. I've just always had a weird vibe from her."

Luna sighed and decided to confess. It would be easier now than later. "Harry, Ginny has already spoken about using a love potion on you. I've heard her say as much."

"What?" He asked, surprised. Yes, he had worried about it, but mainly because he had tried to look at every angle he could of a relationship with her because of the very nature of the exercise.

"Ginny has spoken already of having the idea to use a love potion on you," Luna reiterated. "She desires your money, fame and status as your wife. She has already ... _practiced_," she said a little more delicately than she had with Hermione, "on a few of the boys at school so she could impress you. Your very nature would mean that you would marry and provide for her should she become pregnant."

Harry blinked in surprise and frowned, feeling somewhat betrayed as Hermione nodded beside him. "She's telling the truth, Harry. When we spoke in the Room that night, she swore an oath to not lie to me or she would lose her magic and, well, she's still here and magical." Hermione trailed off, unsure of what Harry would be feeling and not wanting to aggravate him into a frenzy. He was scary when he was angry.

Harry simply nodded, but feeling sick inside. "I don't like it," he said lowly, "but at least I know. That's three Weasleys down, but only one really labeled."

"Ginny's grades in Potions is really quite bad," Luna piped in. "So, she would most likely need to get Molly or the twins to assist her, and the twins, I think, are not likely to help with that without at least warning you, and she knows this. They may find it an amusing prank, but would warn you off and help you if they found she planned to truly use the potion for its intended purposes."

Harry nodded. "Alright. Ginny and Molly down. Twins are questionable. That leaves Ron, who I have actually been worried about."

"How so?" Hermione asked.

"Well, he's always been mean to you and says a lot of bad things unless it's to make up or close to homework due dates and-"

"I already know he uses me for homework," Hermione said, cuddling into Harry as she admitted her own thoughts. "I wouldn't have spoken to him since he said those horrid things in first year, but I had to if I was going to stay near you to continue helping you. I knew you wouldn't leave him for me," she said with a heavy sigh. "He isn't always bad. I mean, he does stand up for me with Malfoy, but he's also defending the Creevey brothers from him, so I don't know about that. But he seemed angry with Krum when he thought I was seeing him in fourth year."

Harry winced. "Yea, that's because he kind of fancies you," Harry said, wondering if Hermione would want to date Ron, where she could be the only girl instead of him with Luna. He was still confused about everything and hadn't really had time to sit and think about it, but somehow felt the pang of losing her all the same.

His worries were left broken and mangled on the ground as Hermione snorted, however. "Pfft! I know. He's fancied me since the end of third year when he walked into Ginny's room without knocking and saw us in our knickers. The only way I'll ever date him would be under the influence of a potion or if it were to save someone's life," Hermione finished, speaking with conviction in her voice. Luna knew the brunette would also do it if he wound up with Ginny since it would mean she could still be near him, however. That was what had happened in the reality she had seen the summer a year ago that made her decide to more strongly bond with Harry this time around.

"Oh," Harry said, unsure what else to say or do about hearing that. He _did_ notice an odd bit of male pride at having bested Ron when it came to Hermione, however, and that shamed him a little. He would have to consider things with the two girls soon. He knew he wanted Hermione, and knowing Ron had no chance with the girl gave him far more hope than he had originally thought. When he realized in fourth year that he cared for Hermione more than regular friendship, it terrified him beyond anything else. He thought he was some kind of pervert or, as his relatives were fond to say, a freak. But, if he didn't have to spare what he felt for Hermione for Ron's sake, then all the easier when he thought things through.

"Well," Harry continued. "Ron also kept having 'other things to do' when it got out that I was a Parslemouth in second year. He spent more time with Seamus and Dean, really. He only stopped doing that after you got petrified. I think it's also because the whole school started believing me at that point since they knew I wouldn't hurt you."

"That was the general consensus in the Ravenclaws, yes," Luna said, confirming it for Harry.

"Then there's the same thing, really, in fourth year. I told him I didn't enter my name and he didn't believe me, even accusing me of cheating and saying he would have been fine with it if I had just told him how, too, so the Goblet had the chance to choose him. Said I took away his chance for glory when I already had some. He only came back after the school started to actually like me again and I got the golden egg, and that one I definitely noticed. I think Cedric had more to do with that, though," he said, smiling fondly at the memory of the late Hufflepuff Seeker.

"That was also the year he said some pretty bad things that I think he was too ashamed to ever really apologize for, but it may not have been that so much as he just didn't feel like it. He didn't really seem as repentant as he normally would be when he puts his foot in his mouth."

"What did he say?" Luna and Hermione asked together before looking at each other and then back at Harry.

"Er, said how I was rich, famous, could have any girl I wanted and all he had was being my sidekick."

"Grrr," Hermione growled out, her wand being brandished about from only she knew where. "He's out. Let him rebuild, but I don't think we can risk letting him know about your family manor or the gold and such you have right now. We already knew he was a jealous, prideful, arrogant, prejudiced, slovenly-"

Harry was only barely able to contain a snicker of amusement as Hermione's insult rant continued while Luna permanently borrowed ones she hadn't heard used before.

"-perverted, ego-centric, sexist, bigoted, stupid, ungrateful, little bastard, but he did have redeeming qualities. I can't seem to recall what they were, but they were there." Hermione furrowed her brows in confusion as the two looked at her. "What?"

Both chuckled, but Harry got them back on track as an owl made its way down to them. "Okay, so I don't trust any of the Weasleys until I have a chance to actually talk to them and get their views on things, maybe as if reminiscing or something."

"That leaves me where I'm already working with the people I can trust for sure," he again pulled them into a hug to show his appreciation of the two, not realizing his mornings with Luna was making him more brazen and open, willing to work with affection a little more easily, having built off of the work Hermione had been doing for the past five years. He let them go again as the owl neared, lifting his arm so it could land on it.

"There are a few potentially trustworthy ones, but I would have to know if they're working more for Dumbledore or not while finding out what, exactly, the old man has planned for me." Seeing Luna's name on the scroll, she was the only one allowed to take it from the owl that took off as soon as it was free of its burden.

"It seems to be for all of us," she said, reading out loud next.

_Miss Lovegood, Miss Granger and Mister Potter;_

_We have gone over the final details of your plan along with your work on the spell you gave to us for safety reasons. All calculations are sound and my best warders have checked the area around Potter Manor and have determined the best size. If you are to have us erect the "ward" the day after tomorrow, I shall be able to have approximately thirteen thousand of my soldiers capable and willing to power the "ward". This can, and will, be considered an invasion force if detected. As such, we can not move them all via magical means as it would alert your Ministry. Therefore, two days from today is the earliest possible we are able to get everyone massed, and it must be absolutely no later than the third as that many goblins in one place will also alert your Ministry as well. _

_The runic seal work needed to allow the spell to be lengthened over real time to require less energy is a work of brilliance. While what exists is indeed impractical for your needs and power sources available, we have already altered it to something reasonable. The arithmetic equations Miss Lovegood and Miss Granger concluded for a two-week duration matched our own and, along with the runic seal necessary that we have been able to correct for you based on those equations, everything looks to fall exactly into line with your plans. To be sure, we have sent you this copy to confirm nothing was lost in translation._

_**H – Hour, D – Day, Yr – Year, S – Second, M – Minute, PPL – People Energies**_

_**Real Time to Dilated-Time after Arithmetic formula is applied**_

_**Equation:** 24(H) **x** 365(D) **x** 3(Y) **/** 14(D) **Real Time to** 78.213(D) **/** 1877.04(H) **Dilated-Time**_

_1(D):24(H) **Real Time become** 78.214(D):1877.04(H) **Dilated-Time**._

_1(M)18(S):78(S) **Real Time becomes** 1(H):60(M):3600(S) **Dilated-Time**_

_Thus far, we are aware of only eleven people who are to be entering. We have calculated our needs based on this and learned that we can fit a full three years into this two week period_

_1(PPL) x 1(Yr) becomes 365(PPL)_

_1(PPL) x 3(Yr) becomes 1,095(PPL)_

_11(PPL) x 3(Yr) becomes 12,045(PPL)_

_Thus far, we are aware of only those on the following list to be inside. Let us know if others will be coming._

_H Potter, H Granger, E Granger, D Granger, L Lovegood, X Lovegood, L Lupin, 2x House Elves, 2x Goblins_

_We will have to meet early morning of the day you wish to take action so that we can make sure there is nothing that any of us have forgotten. The two goblins I'll send with you will take everything they need for themselves, but we will make a final checklist that should make sure we have not forgotten anything, or that you haven't. Please send a response at your earliest convenience to finalize._

_Liege Lord Oorlog Ragnok_

"The math looks good," Hermione mumbled more to herself than the other two. "I'm glad they got the runic array set properly. I had planned to look up a good many of those runes so I could try and get it today."

"Wait a minute," Harry said, looking it over. "I don't get the weird stuff on top, but right under it where it shows the math for how the days or spread out means that, if we go in like we are, then every one day out here is going to be almost exactly two and a half months?" Harry asked, looking at the simplified math at the top before it went into the actual runes stuff that he didn't know. He was a whiz at regular math.

"Yes, exactly," Hermione told him absently, looking through the runic seal structure to glean what she could from it. "And that stuff on top is all runic-based equations that gives us the fourteen-day variable."

"If it says that it takes three hundred and sixty-five people for one person to be in for a year, then how does lengthening this make it take less power?" Harry asked, trying to understand something he knew was way above him.

Seeing that Hermione was fully engrossed in the seal work, Luna pointed all around them, getting Harry's attention. "We are not the only ones who will be in the time-dilation field. There are trees, birds, creatures under the ground and other such things of life that require energy as well. Going in, we will have to magically create water and sunlight, or something like it, to sustain the trees and lawns."

Luna gestured at the sky where the few clouds were drifting lazily along. "To us, it will seem as though day and night last for nearly a month and a half each. Nothing physical can penetrate the sphere, so there will be no rain, which means it will be a nearly three-year long drought and will require that we take active measures to use a water spell to keep things alive. The sun could scorch the grasses like in the desert if we don't take measures to shade them on occasion and wind will be very scarce. The only thing we can accurately calculate is how much energy a person needs. Not the earth and nature that will be around us. That additional energy will be spent on all of that, instead, so that the earth and life that will be around us won't die."

Both Harry and Hermione stared at Luna in shock, not having even considered that there could be anything they would have to do to keep the plants alive. Hermione, having thought through things much faster than Harry, asked, "Luna, are you saying that we could kill all of the plants and animals around the house by doing this?"

"What exactly _is_ this spell?" Harry added. "Can you explain that, too?"

Luna nodded. "We can, and will, kill all of the nature that is within the bubble if we do not take care of it ourselves. It is impossible for the bubble to be breached once created, so we won't have any water for the plant life to drink of. Because it is a localized temporal displacement, everything inside is thrown out of balance. We will not feel the wind, there won't be any storms, things controlled by the lunar cycle would be almost impossible to function like certain potions," she said with a shrug. "So we will be forced to water the plant life and shade it so the sun doesn't burn the grasses and trees. We will also have to cast Solaris spells to imitate the sun when it is nighttime or they will starve."

"This spell will create a sphere of energy as large as the crystals of the containment circle indicate while being cast. If anything that has life energy touches it, such as a human, goblin or bird, they will find that their energy is absorbed by the bubble. Any spells will likewise be absorbed. Animals will sense this and stay well away from it."

Luna sighed and looked at the bounty of nature around her, making the other two follow suit as they took in her words. "This spell was created for a singular purpose, and this is far, far from its original intended use. It wasn't designed to take the earth into account because it was never to be active for so long. One person would go in and spend a few days within while ... doing what they needed to," she said, hesitating to reveal her family's secrets, "and then be released. While this will keep enough magical life energy flowing for the plants and greatly help thanks to the seal array, they will still need the basic requirements all life needs."

"Oh," Harry said, sounding much like he did earlier. "That sounds ... complicated."

Luna giggled. "The seal array is quite so, yes. But the rest, not so much. None of us will want to stand outside waving our wands and yelling 'Solaris!', so I thought we could create some glow spheres and charge them with that instead of the basic lighting charms. If we connect them all to a master orb, then we won't have to run around turning them all off and on."

"I didn't know anything like that existed," Hermione said.

"They don't. There was never much of a need for them except in places where they don't get enough sunlight, but those are all very far north. But we will be too busy to spend so much of our time standing outside and trying to give the plants enough sunlight. And there isn't even enough of us for doing so." It made sense and was a good idea, so Harry and Hermione went with it and didn't say anything else.

"Well, now that we know everyone going into this thing, let's see what else we can think of before we are too late and can't take anything else in with us," Harry said, standing up and then dragging the two girls up when they raised their hands for him to take.

As the three humans left, Shadow Walker unclasped his goat skin pouch and took three large gulps of potion, a fortifying and energizing brew created by the goblins specifically for long-term sieges. In this particular case, he needed to get to know his human charges before he went with them into this giant time bubble as his king had requested of him. It was odd, but King Ragnok did not seem to want any other goblins to guard young Mister Potter, so had given Shadow Walker the charge of doing so, even though it meant staying up for a week and a half straight. Had it not been for meditation, his mind would have begun to fail him at this point, much like a human's would. But all goblins learned occlumency and used it to good effect, much like now.

Knowing that the youngest Weasley already had plans to poison his human's mind with a love potion put Shadow Walker into a foul mood, but he was content in the knowledge, shamelessly purloined from the mind of Mister Potter, that the girl held no chance with him at this point. He was a smart one and already planned on setting up a legal action to make sure he was tested for any love potions before marriage or to have the action removed.

His mind was a mess, but he would make sure the scrawny human developed. If he didn't, then he would face Shadow Walker's wrath.

xXxXxXx

"Report!" Dobby bellowed in front of a near house elf invasion in Potter Manor. There were two hundred elves who were all helping Dobby and Winky by popping out into all of the stores they could find to purchase enough meats, vegetables, dairy and miscellaneous food items to feed twenty people for much more than five years and empty all other properties under Master Harry's control into the Manor while another two hundred were out and purchasing the other things his master had requested. The Hogwarts house elves had been ecstatic to learn that there was something for them to do and, since Dobby and Winky had befriended them all while working there, they knew just who to ask for assistance to speed things up.

Four elves popped into existence in front of Dobby, each one in charge of various aspects. "Giggles, you first," Dobby said, causing the female house elf to nod once and begin her report.

"The cleaning of the house is being almost all done. All that is left is where some pests damaged curtains and the landscaping is being done within five hours." Giggles put her hands behind her back and settled herself on her feet to show she was finished.

"Excellent! Master Harry will be pleased! Jacob? What is your status for the great Master Harry Potter?" He asked as a slightly pudgy elf nodded.

"There is enough food to be feeding twenty-five big eaters for almost a whole ten years. All foods is being in the expanded room and sectioned off by types of food and what kind of that type. Then is being put in a stasis charm so it is not going bad for as long as the magic be flowing through the house. All meats is present, all cheeses, milk, flour, fruits, vegetables and lots and lots of spices," Jacob said. "House elves in France who is being loyal to the Delacour family is hearing of Harry Potter's plans and is offering assistance from them, too, and is being sending many foods that is being available there and not here and lots and lots of wine. We is also having a whole room all alone for casks of juices, butterbeer, tea and all sorts of other things that are expanded. We accidentally bought all of the available pumpkin juice and butterbeer available in Britain, though."

Dobby waved him off. It didn't matter that others would go without for a day. Only his master mattered. "It cannot be helped. Master Harry will be without the ability to be buying more so his needs is being greater than most others who will be able to get more in a few days. What about you, Lumpy?"

Lumpy, a house elf that looked very much like her namesake nodded to show she heard. "House elves from hundreds of families is being giving us ideas of entertaining things for Harry Potter and supplies. We is getting games of every sort that is known to us and storing them in their places. One house elf be telling us of those projectors you is being looking for and where to find their pictures. A house elf in London is being telling us where to get it and a whole room of pictures and we is also able to get a sound player, too."

Lumpy furrowed her brow as she remembered the rest. "We is having everything else on the old list and lots of new things not on the list also. We is having bought all potions ingredients and pre-made potions for healing from all places in Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley and many distributors and they is being stocked in the potions' room. Harry Potter should be pleased," she said, not able to remember the actual items but knew that everything was obtained. Being house elves, they had a natural inclination to overachieve, which included buying out all apothecaries, distributors and stealing them from a large number of Harry Potter's enemies. Dobby knew that the Malfoys had obtained a large number of darker tomes from the marriage between Lucius and Narcissa and had even gone back to take them back, believing them to be fully his Master's.

Nodding, Dobby turned to Winky, the final house elf who took it upon herself to be in charge of the other homes while Dobby ran the whole operation like a little house elf general. "How is the rest doing, Winky?"

Winky smiled serenely. "All items that could be moved from each home Master owns is now here and stored away with an inventory being made by Bubbles. We is sensing other things belonging to Master outside of the houses, though. So, we is sending fifty elves to retrieve them. Several are in the possession of Albus Dumbledore, Alastor Moody, Mundungus Fletcher, Severus Snape, Ronald Weasley, Ginevra Weasley though she only has his under things, and many stores in Knockturn Alley and peoples who is going to the store and buying them, so we is not knowing their names, but is finding them anyway."

Dobby cocked his head to the side. "Why is the littlest Weasley taking Master Harry's under things?" He asked, causing Winky to shrug.

"Winky is not knowing. She always keeps them in her pockets. Wizards is strange."

Dobby shrugged and said, "it does not matter. Master Harry wanted all of his things to be coming to this house, so we is getting them back. Did you give Justice to the bad elf?"

Winky nodded somberly. "He was a bad elf. He is gone now."

"Good," Dobby said, not happy with the house elf once known as Kreacher. He caused Master Harry to get hurt and lose someone important to him. Dobby would work twice as hard if his master was upset with him about it. He wasn't allowed to punish himself, but he could certainly work as two elves if he needed to.

xXxXxXx

"I don't know," Dan said as he and Remus returned to his home when the subject turned to his views and thoughts on joining in the newest adventure his daughter was about to be a part of. "Hermione stayed up all of last night telling us what she knew about the wizarding world, its policies and then explained everything she knew about Harry and the war. To be honest, I'm terrified."

Remus nodded, fully understanding. "I understand. I was a player in the last war, too, and we lost a lot of good people. I just wish it didn't have to be the kids that were a part of this."

"Yea, Hermione explained why Harry was at the center of it all and why she felt she should join now rather than later. To be honest though, I think she may have a thing for Harry. I'm not sure how that's going to work out when they're going to be together without another boy, or girl aside from that Luna girl, there.

Remus was quiet a moment as he thought before responding slowly. "It would make a lot of sense if it did. I taught them two years ago for all of their third year. He treats her almost like his father did Lily, his wife. The only difference is that James was easier to read when he was expressing his feelings. Harry, I'm afraid, was emotionally stunted as a kid because of the family he lived with. To be honest, I'm surprised he's got the capacity and kind heart he does. If I were him, I would probably be as evil as they come, but he's not," he said with pride evident in his voice. "That boy is something else."

"Doesn't it seem odd to you that the kids have got to fight though?" Dan asked, his frustration over everything coming up once again. A father's biggest motivation when it came to their daughter's safety and happiness was to provide as well as possible for both, but here he was, being told to let his daughter train to fight and kill because of prejudiced wankers who want to kill her because of who _he_ was! "Why doesn't Dumbledore do anything more than what he's done? From what I understand, he has considerable backing and lots of supporters. Why didn't he try and stomp this out before it got bad?"

Remus shook his head, wondering much the same thing. "I don't know. He's had everyone that was with him in the last war helping now, but for the most part, we seem to be listening with our ears to the ground and meeting every other week. Don't get me wrong," Remus hastened to explain, "the man is more of a defensive fighter and a wonderful strategist, so he's probably been using Voldemort's down time to gather what resources he could and make whatever plans he can for the long-term stuff, but I just don't know it. I can't help for most of it, so I can't really help much with planning."

"Isn't that just as likely to be what Voldemort was doing the whole year?" Dan countered. "Hermione said Harry told her something about Dumbledore knowing that Voldemort would be coming back. Why didn't he make his plans for that to happen and train people to handle it?"

Remus sighed and held up his hands in a defenseless gesture. "I really don't know. I had my part and my orders and did them while others had theirs." He let his hands drop and they sat in a relatively comfortable and heavy silence for a few minutes before Remus turned back to Dan. "Is there something in particular you're looking for? Or wanting to know about? My offer is still good; I'll be happy to help answer any questions that I'm able to."

Dan's eyes darted to Remus and then back to the road before he finally sighed. "Emma and I continued talking last night well after Hermione went to bed. She doesn't really know it, but because Emma has been so worried that Hermione was pushing us out of her life, she's been going to Diagon Alley and buying all sorts of books on the history of your world, looking for places where she and I could fit in and where we can try and hold intelligent conversations with her. The past two summers that she stayed with us, she mostly answered questions or we talked like you do to an acquaintance and Emma couldn't stand it, so we learned a lot of what Hermione told us except for this new stuff about her and Harry. We were hoping she would come to us and talk, but it wasn't happening, until yesterday."

Remus listened patiently while Dan gathered his thoughts. "Whether I like anything about this or not, and I definitely don't, Emma would not allow us to not be with Hermione through this if she can help it. I'm going along with the ride more because I have to instead of taking the whole family somewhere far off and hiding out like I would rather do."

"I've been using today to take measure of you and feel you're on the level. What I want to know is, do you think this is the right thing? For Hermione? For Harry? For all of us?"

Remus began nodding almost immediately. "To be honest, I do," he told Dan quietly. "I have never seen anyone with the natural leadership and raw ability as Harry seems to have. He told me about the Prophecy, just like he said Hermione told you, and I know it's a real thing, so I know Harry is going to be in the middle of this no matter what. Even if it wasn't, he would be because Voldemort knows enough of the prophecy to have figured out who it was about and thinks he has to kill him."

Remus looked out the window at the passing buildings and shook his head. "I don't know why Dumbledore hasn't trained him, but I believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that Harry can do this; that he _must_ do this. I don't like it, even hate it, but believe it. And from what I heard from students and faculty, Hermione has been by his side through literally everything he's ever faced and they've brought each other up when they needed it. Somehow, they've always bested whatever odds they came against, and I believe they will." He turned to look at Dan, fully serious as he tried to convey his own conviction into the man.

"Whether or not I think this time field thing is right is irrelevant. Because I know it's going to be needed. They will need all the help they can get, and now that Voldemort's out in the open, they don't have time to learn things on their own. Everything they know, _everything_, has been self-taught, and they have made incredible leaps, but it won't be enough. Voldemort and his followers use things that can't be blocked and are the most horrible things you can imagine. The things they learn from school won't be enough. Not to fight _real_ monsters."

The two men fell into a tense silence for all of ten seconds before Dan sighed. "If she's pregnant by the time we get out of this time bubble, the wizarding world is screwed, 'cause I'm going to kill him."

"Fair enough."

xXxXxXx

The next morning, Hermione and Luna were speaking in their night clothes after the bushy-haired brunette stayed the night. She had stayed with her parents the night they went to explain everything so she could explain in more detail and answer far more questions, which lasted until quite late. She had almost regretted allowing Harry to leave her there, alone, with her parents and those looks that only parents could give.

Not to mention her mother seemed to be a bloody Seer, herself. How the hell do mothers always know!

But after a night's rest and then making a list for them to follow during the day to think of things they may want, including what they had discussed the night before, Hermione had gone back to Harry and Luna and prepared with them so that they could make preparations while the 'men' went out and shopped, leaving the girls to go later the next day, which is where Hermione found herself, having a very strange conversation with Luna.

"Why are you telling me this?" Hermione asked, looking as if she were going to bolt any second. "Why not both of us like before?"

"Because he seems more open and it bonds us. I've done this every morning since he's shown up and yesterday was the first day he didn't seem surprised. While I certainly wouldn't mind going in there, especially when it involves hugging," Luna's vacant look was back as she stared wistfully at the bathroom door, "he hasn't had the same experience with you and you alone. I don't see why you're so upset. You've done it before, and that was with the expectation of fellatio. This won't involve any of that unless you want it to, of course."

Hermione blushed scarlet and looked away from the mirthful eyes of the younger blonde. "Yes, but that ... I mean...," she trailed off, not sure how to continue it. However, Luna's many years of reading people served her well in this case.

"You don't want to go in alone," the blonde finished for her. "Before, you had me by your side, helping a little."

Blushing still, the bushy-haired brunette nodded. The words did not seem as difficult when the other girl said them. "It isn't that I don't want to," she said quietly, "but I'm still so confused. I want him, yes, and I certainly ... love him, but I can't understand why he would want me when he can have you and-"

"Hermione, stop," the blonde ordered with a sigh. "Harry isn't the type to get hung up on physical appearances. Do they matter to him? A little, I'm sure. I doubt he would desire Millicent Bullstrode, but we both know that he would appreciate her all the same if she were a good person and they got to know one another. We wouldn't love him, much less be considering such an odd relationship if he were so shallow."

Hermione looked down in shame, nodding after a few seconds. "I know that, and I don't mean to imply otherwise. But I still feel like that. There are only two boys who ever showed any interest in me; Ron and Krum. I think Ron thought that I would be an easy mark and Krum wanted me because I wasn't fawning over him like the others," she said, making a face. "He was pretty obvious that he wanted to convert me. He was a playboy, obvious from day one. Still, if he figured out his egg and talked about it...," she trailed off, realizing she was getting off topic and not wanting to admit that she had been subjecting herself to his attempts to convert her for Harry's sake. Especially when it implied that Ron was right, in part, at last.

Luna shrugged, never having had to worry about suiters. People had always tried to stay away from her until Harry. There were a few nasty Slytherins who made some rather lewd suggestions, but she was able to evade them well enough. No one wanted to admit to having been bested by Loony Luna, after all. "Boys tend to not notice girls until around fourteen. Then, it's mostly with their hormones, so they'll lust after the prettiest ones that fill their fantasies. That doesn't mean you aren't pretty, just not perhaps in some of the top categories. If Harry did not desire you, then he would have declined our offer already. Or perhaps altered it."

"He hasn't exactly accepted it yet, either," Hermione said, making the blonde shrug again.

"Then ask him," she said simply, gently using her fingers to raise Hermione's nervous eyes to her own. "Just be calm and it will calm him as well. As much as you may think it is, getting naked in front of a boy I care for who has the possibility of rejecting me is _not_ a part of my nature. It terrifies me each time. But each time, he's fought less and begun to accept me in a situation that is obviously outside of his comfort bubble."

Luna released Hermione and sat back to look at her fully. "Hermione, if he is to grow to love us and accept this, we have to show him we are both okay with it. If he isn't, then he _must_ be okay with it with you or he will fail. He needs you even more than he needs air, and you know he can't go long without that."

Hermione, despite herself, snorted. Even with the odd joke thrown in for apparent levity, it was comments like that, which were full-bore Luna, that made her remember why she was allowing and, oddly enough, looking forward to such an odd relationship. She knew she would never be able to provide that kind of support to Harry. She had humor and could calm Harry down most often, but Luna held something uniquely her that Hermione knew Harry needed in his life. It was like the quirky blonde had told her in the Room of Requirement; Harry needed both of them. "Yes, he does need that."

"Good!" Luna exclaimed with a radiant smile. "Now, get in there and soap up our man!" Luna frowned for a moment before shrugging. "Well, our boy, anyway. Daddy says I can't turn Harry into a man too soon. I'm not sure if he had a particular time in mind, but I don't think he meant right now. But he didn't say anything about you!"

Hermione's apprehension was almost fully gone as Luna smiled brightly at her. She got up, shaking her head, and shucked the nightgown that she wore after stopping at the doorway, leaving her only in her panties as she quickly conjured a rag for the excuse of washing Harry's back. That, too, was Luna's suggestion, though she had mentioned using the loofah.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Luna asked herself, scowling as she realized that Hermione was going to get a lot more feeling done with that than she had with her favorite loofah. The loofah was basically a mass of cloth on the end of a wooden stick. Sure, it allowed her to look at him as she worked, but a rag! A rag would let her _feel_!

Hermione looked back and smiled at the pout on Luna's face as she stepped through the door, leaving her wand on the table near by and closed the door as a course of habit. With a deep breath to fortify herself, Hermione let her panties drop to the ground and then quickly opened the shower curtain and stepped in before she could lose her nerve, getting behind Harry as he rinsed his hair.

She watched as he turned to her quickly and blinked in wide-eyed astonishment at seeing Hermione in the shower with him, _again_. His eyes darted about to either side of her before shooting down and back up as his face turned red. It was obvious his eyes kept attempting to drop again, but he was resolutely keeping them on her face. "Er, Hermione? What's going on?"

"Well, I'm planning on washing your back," she said, trying to sound normal per Luna's advice.

"Oh," he said, struggling to keep his eyes where they belonged. "Er, where's Luna?"

Hermione hid the sudden pang of hurt and answered, "she's in the bedroom. Would you rather I get her?"

Harry quickly shook his head, being more than able to read Hermione well enough to realize his thoughtless comment hurt her. "No! It isn't that, it's just she's popped up every morning since I've been here. I ... honestly didn't expect her to not show up," he said, then mumbled, "though it's stupid to try and predict her. I should know that by now."

Realizing he was looking down and at Hermione's breasts, he flushed and looked up quickly, obviously nervous again. "Er," he said, bringing his hands down to cover himself as he began to react to his pretty ... lady friend.

"Turn around, Harry," she commanded, getting him to comply with a sigh of resignation. She grabbed the soap from the tiny, built-in shelf against the wall and began to slowly soap Harry's back from his neck and working her way down in slow, gentle circles.

"So, er, why do you and Luna keep wanting to wash my back?" He asked, trying to figure out what was going on. He knew girls were not normally like this. Or at least, he was pretty darn certain.

Immediately, several excellent lies and half-truths came to mind, but Hermione didn't feel like they were adequate. Not that they weren't very good, but she didn't want to say them. It didn't feel right, so instead, she decided to tell him the truth. "To be honest, it's complicated."

"Oh," he said, obviously not sure how to respond. Part of it was because he felt it may be about emotions and girl thoughts that, quite frankly, he was pretty sure most guys weren't supposed to understand while the other part was more focused on the slow movements of her hand as she reached half way down his back with the bar of soap. The girl had a very soft touch.

"What I mean is that there are a few reasons. I'm going to be honest, Harry," she said, not stopping her washing as it gave her something to do besides stand there, and gave him a reason to stay facing away from her. This was going to be hard enough as it was. "We're hoping that doing this will get you thinking about us more realistically as girlfriends. We want you to accept what we're trying to offer and, in Luna's words, this is also a bonding experience."

"She made a very valid point that you've not had much social interaction outside of friendship in your life and we're hoping that this will help to get you comfortable with us." Finished with the soap, she set it down and began to use her rag, starting at his neck again and washing with her right hand as her left went to his side to hold him steady a bit as it was unconsciously to touch him, a usual habit when she tried to talk to him about deeper, emotional subjects, knowing it helped him. It was something she had learned in second year, but had not had a chance to really practice a whole lot. She felt the need to do it a little more strongly than usual because this was a much more serious discussion and because Harry was remaining very quiet, listening and concentrating on her hand.

"Luna told me she's been using this as a chance to get you to really consider her because she's had so much less time with you than I have. It was also her idea to use it to keep you thinking about a naked blonde girl instead of other matters," she hedged, not sure how to bring up Sirius without hurting him. By now, she was done washing his back, making the last swipe at the lower parts.

"And, for myself, I just ...," she hesitated, unsure if she should admit the truth of her feelings, but decided that she had to as Luna's earlier words echoed in her ears, "I needed to know you honestly wanted to consider me in all of this," she finished quietly, staring at his back, feeling morose and suddenly lacking interest in everything beside the one spot her eyes had fixated on.

Harry turned around, letting the water hit his back and took in Hermione's expression, still staring now at his chest and looking sad. He wasn't sure if he could place the blame on Luna or if it was his need to comfort his best female friend, but he reached forward and lifted her face, making her look into his eyes.

His time with Luna and Hermione the past week and a half had done wonders for his ability to see what was around him. In her eyes, he saw fear of rejection, longing to be accepted and a vulnerability that made his own heart ache for her. He smiled warmly at her, running his thumbs over her cheeks gently and then told her what he had to say. But in a way that he knew would be understood better than words since he was never really all that good with them.

[Lemon Start]

He leaned forward and gently kissed Hermione on the lips, stepping forward and pressing her against the wall of the shower and pressing his own body up against hers. His touch was very light and he didn't press against her with his weight. He merely put them together so that he could feel her erect nipples against his own chest and made sure she could feel his arousal pressed between her thighs, rubbing against her as he pressed forward until he was between her as if she were sitting on a post, the friction causing her to gasp as her arms wrapped around him.

Hermione felt Harry slide between her thighs and rub against her clitoris, sending an incredible jolt of energy rocketing through her being. Rather than be scared, worried that he would tilt his hips and do something regrettable, she moaned and wrapped her arms around him as he pressed himself more fully into her, having given her the opportunity to push him away, to stop whatever was happening.

A tear trickled down her cheek as Harry's hands ran gently down her arms and pulled her hands up to her shoulders, holding them there as he clasped his hands in hers. He was so very gentle, but being so expressive, that she just _knew_ what he was trying to tell her as his kisses left her mouth, his teeth gently pulling her lower lip for a brief moment before he kissed her neck and down to her collar bone before nuzzling her.

Unbidden, Hermione rolled her hips, trying to get that contact and special jolt of energy, gasping and letting out a breathy squeak of enjoyment as pleasure permeated her body when she found it.

Harry let her hands go and wrapped Hermione in a hug, pressing her chest into his and pushing himself past her legs so that their bodies could join fully, making sure he went slowly enough that he wouldn't accidentally go into anything he shouldn't. He wasn't sure if he _could_, but knew that it was far from the right time for anything to go that far.

[Lemon End]

"Hermione," Harry mumbled into her neck as she hugged him close to her, both trying to feel as much of the other as they could, but not for the sake of being naked bodies; they just simply wanted to pull what comfort they could from the other, "the only reason I didn't accept yours and Luna's offer right away is because I don't understand why you would both want this."

"We-" she was cut off from trying to explain as Harry squeezed her tightly, letting her know that he wanted to continue first.

"What I mean is that, if we do this, it could end badly and you could both get hurt. I know I love you," he told her, finally pulling back enough to look into her eyes again. "I do, and I know I always will. And, I will admit that I do feel love for Luna, too. But, I honestly don't know if what I'm feeling is ... the _right_ love or if it is something else or ... _I just don't know_," he mumbled, looking scared and worried.

Suddenly, Hermione understood. He had no friends or family before Hogwarts. Harry had said as much. There was never any form of bond that could develop in that period. He didn't love his relatives, and they certainly didn't love him. And she knew how they treated Dudley, Harry had explained that before, at least in part. That was enough to know that they spoiled the boy in a way that Harry realized, instinctively, was wrong. He had also explained his aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon's relationship a few times when he broke down and needed to talk, usually later at night when she found him in the common room. There were so many things wrong with that relationship it wasn't even worth thinking about.

"Oh Harry," she said, hugging him tightly. She understood. He was scared he didn't know if he would, or even _could_, recognize love.

"What if what I'm feeling is because I've seen the both of you naked and think you're pretty? Or if it's something else? I'm scared, Hermione, that I'll find out what I feel isn't right." He hugged Hermione tightly enough to make her eyes bug out briefly, but didn't notice. "I know what I feel for you and Luna, and Ginny and the Weasleys, but all I can do is compare them. And, after thinking about the Weasleys, I don't know what I really feel for them now or what I did. I just... I ... I don't know."

Hermione smiled warmly at him and cupped his face in both hands after pulling back. "Harry, even if this relationship, or any part of it, fails, we, that is Luna and I, will forever be your friends, Harry. Just because we love you and may find that we can't all work together, even if it hurts to lose the relationship, doesn't mean that what we have together is anything less. And, Luna and I can help you, too. We can't decide for you, or tell you if you're feeling love for us, not like what we're hoping for, but we will never give up on you. Even if any of us realize we can't have a relationship together. We'll help you, Harry."

Harry gazed into Hermione's eyes and swallowed before nodding. He knew that this was something most guys would love to be a part of, having two very pretty, intelligent, loyal, wonderful young women declare their love and desire to be with him, but it was more than that. It was Hermione and Luna. That was what made this so wonderful, but also so terrifying. What if he wasn't what they wanted, or what if he found he didn't love them?

Harry leaned forward, being met by Hermione this time and they kissed gently for several long moments before Harry pulled back and smirked. "While I love the contact, it's my turn to wash your back," he said, enjoying her blush. She suddenly realized he was going to get to not only see her arse, but get the chance to look at it for some time.

xXxXxXx

"Hermione, please," Harry pled, "this is _so_ wrong!"

"Oh, stop being such a baby," she chided gently, holding another pair of boxers against him while Luna held first one shirt, and then another up to his chest while Emma snickered quietly off to the side. The girls had spent a very, very long time shopping for clothes for themselves in things that were close to their size, but very pretty. Thanks to the use of auto-sizing charms, anything they bought would fit wonderfully, so there was no need to go around trying things on. However, that did _not_ stop the two girls that had decided to claim Harry from mutually deciding, much to his very vocal protests, that he would be getting a very large, new wardrobe. They promised to hex his danglies off, though Luna promised to preserve them for proper, dirty uses later, if he dared wear the clothes he got from the Dursleys again.

"Hermione, I like the green and red. What about you?" Luna asked, holding those in her left hand against Harry while the right held a white and black button-up T-shirt in her right for Hermione's perusal.

"Mm," she pondered, "I like all but the white. It's nice, but all of the others work with his eyes. The white is just rather plain."

Luna nodded, smacking her lips thoughtfully. "Yes, I agree. I was thinking it would be good to wear as a nightshirt after he's worn it a few times and we can use girlfriend rights to take it from him rightfully."

Hermione smiled as Harry stared at the quirky blonde in shock. "Oh! Brilliant! We'll go ahead and get some anyway. Good idea, Luna."

Emma watched as her daughter and two friends conversed about something-or-other, flustering the boy in various ways that made the results funny to watch. It hurt her to know they would soon be training to kill, but she had made sure Dan got some psychology books so that she could continue to be there for her daughter after this training thing was finished. She and Dan would not be able to learn magic, but they could still make sure they were indispensable enough to the group that they still wouldn't be tossed aside when everything was done in the bubble.

Hearing the two girls laughing and speaking loudly enough to hear while beginning to obviously bait the boy with threats of speedos and making him try on the new underwear, Emma stepped forward and got them back on track. "Alright you three, you wanted to meet that person in the morning, so we need to finish up. We've still got to hit the shoe store."

Harry's look of horror put Emma in a very good mood.

For her own part, Luna could barely contain her excitement. She still had memories of shopping with her own mother and, while this certainly wasn't the same, it still filled her with a sense of contented happiness to be a part of something like this. Emma guided the three teens like a mother duck herding her ducklings about and a mother's touch was something uniquely their own.

Deep down, she knew it was not the same, but she still memorized every sensation as they came, cataloging and filing it all away. It was enough to make her stray every now and then just to feel Emma's hand on her shoulder, gently putting her with the other two, knowing that Hermione had told her mother of her lack of knowledge of the muggle world and that they were all keeping an eye on on to make sure they didn't lose her.

xXxXxXx

"Good morning, Mister Potter, Miss Lovegood, Miss Granger," Ragnok said as he sat at the head of the conference table. "I am not going to waste time by going over details here. Let's take this portkey I previously made to Potter Manor to see how your preparations are going," he said, indicating a length of rope for the four of them to take.

They all felt the familiar tug of a portkey and arrived moments later on the edge of a very large group of goblins where Ragnok immediately turned back to his human companions, only to find them on the ground with the females sprawled across the male. He waited for them to get up before asking, "are you aware that, to take a portkey without falling, you only have to keep your legs from being completely stiff? Simply bend them at the knees slightly and you will remain standing."

"Oh thank you!" Harry moaned out, his nether regions still smarting from someone's elbow. Again.

Ragnok chuckled, having seen the errant joint. "Follow me," he commanded, stepping over to a large command tent, the only one in the mass of goblins. In the distance, they could see a large white manor that was surrounded by very high, thick walls that appeared to be made of a single slate stone that surrounded the estate in a circle so large that it appeared to be a straight wall.

The group stepped inside to see it, like many other tents in the wizarding world, were larger on the inside than the outside. They walked directly into a large room that was three times the size of the Great Hall at Hogwarts and very much designed to be the central hub of a massive army with maps along the walls of the local area where it magically showed a number of green dots for all of the goblins and red for the three humans.

"Hello Father," a female goblin said after turning from a table full of parchments and rushing the goblin king for a hug.

Ragnok laughed and hugged his daughter, hoping his plans came to fruition. "Hello, Aureus. Is everything ready?"

"When you are, Father," she said. "Shadow Walker and myself will have several sets of long-term War Packs. We have also obtained things for ourselves to enjoy."

"Excellent," Ragnok said warmly, turning to his three humans. "This is my daughter, Oorlog Aureus. She is a Gold Class Healer and master of the mental arts. She shall help you in such matters as the healing arts, mind arts, politics and such. Shadow Walker shall teach you to fight in a number of methods and everything that is involved in fighting and they will both help with a large number of things jointly. Do you have all of your things ready?"

Luna nodded, taking the lead as she was the one at the source of everything. "We do. Our house elves got the assistance of a few hundred elves from Hogwarts since they were doing very little now that summer has started. We have enough food stuffs to last a very long time and they finished gathering everything on our list early yesterday. All that remains is to get everyone into the house proper and begin the spell on our side."

Ragnok nodded happily and motioned for everyone to follow him back out now that he gathered his daughter. Once out, he walked to the wall where he pointed at a line that had been etched into the ground with a large series of runes in its center. "This is the boundary line of what will be the time-dilation field, used to guide the spell so it doesn't compress itself as small as possible, or grow larger than needed. It runs the entire length of the property and should be finished by noon today."

The goblin king turned to face the humans and clasped his hands in front of him. "We have about three hours before you and your people need to be in the house. Once that is done, we will use the combined energies of thirteen thousand, four hundred and seventy-eight goblins to power the dilation field and then we will leave as quickly as possible to avoid any detection."

"As stated earlier, you will go with your people, along with Aureus and Shadow Walker to begin your training. I leave it up to him to determine how best to train you as he will have the time to get to know you and your abilities where I won't. When you return, he will give me a report to explain your progress, as will my daughter in relation to her fields of interest. Any questions?"

Hermione nodded, looking briefly at Aureus and then back to Ragnok. "If I may, how much are they teaching us? Do you know?"

Ragnok nodded to his daughter, who explained, "I will teach you healing and the mental arts along with a form of fighting that may work out better for the two of you instead of what Harry will be doing. That is all designed for those with more physical strength and will probably push Harry to his limits every day. I will also teach a little about politics so you can handle your Ministry as best as possible. I'm also quite well versed in runic magic, arithmancy and potions."

She continued, "Shadow Walker can also help with other languages and politics, as he has had need of them, stealth, assassination and other fighting techniques, wandless magics as goblins don't use those silly sticks, bladed weapons, physical training and then whatever we think we can help with beyond that, as well."

Ragnok looked at the three humans and saw they understood. "Shadow Walker has been watching over you from the time Hogwarts let you free to the will reading and then has been gathering supplies, so he will require a few days of rest before the physical training begins, but after that, he will guide you through the path. Are there any other questions?" Getting a round on negatives, the goblin king nodded. "Very well. Then you may use this portkey to get you and your people here at noon and this one to return to Gringotts. We will give you one hour from the time you arrive back at the house to one hour past before we erect the dilation field and then you will be on your own for a few years."

The trio accepted both portkeys and took the one meant to take them to Gringotts as they were quite obviously dismissed and moved to get everyone ready.

xXxXxXx

"This," Dan said after picking himself up from the ground, "is one _hell_ of a house."

The majority of the others nodded in awe at the majesty around them. They were in a very large courtyard that had black gravel running through the estate and through a large garden around it with well-manicured lawns of a deep, emerald green. A large fountain was a hundred and fifty yards from the front of the estate house and they had appeared right between it and the large house. The house itself was five stories high and had to have been nearly a kilometer across as well as deep and it was made of large, white stones that almost seemed to reflect the sunlight back at them.

A pop to their side indicated Dobby and Winky appearing in unison. Dobby was almost immediately attached to Harry's left leg, bawling about his master coming home.

"Winky, is everything where it belongs and all of the other house elves gone?" Hermione asked as Harry tried to figure out how to get the little elf off of his leg.

"Yes, Mistress Hermione. We is being alone on the grounds with the goblins not stepping foot past the walls."

"Do you think you can give us a basic tour?" Remus asked, looking at the massive building with no small amount of apprehension. "I'm pretty sure we're going to get lost for a few weeks anyway, but it may help out."

Winky nodded. "Yes, Mister Lupin. This ways." The group of Dan, Emma, Xenophilius, Remus, Dobby, who was still attached to Harry's leg as he walked, Winky, Hermione and Luna stepped forward as Shadow Walker and Aureus said they already had a basic idea of the building and were going to create a home in the back yard where they would be more comfortable. The goblins were not comfortable sleeping in the building above ground.

"The bedrooms is all being on the second, third and fourth floors, but they is not being used for a long time. There is being a game room of the fifth floor that is having all sorts of games and is where we was putting all of the games we is buying for you in a closet. We had to expand the room to fits them all, though, because they wouldn't fit," Winky said, sounding as if she was scolding the closet for not cooperating.

"There is being a first basement for potions making and a store room for all of the potions ingredients and then a second one that is being holding lots of wines and that is where we is building a row of closets and we be storing all of the food stuffs and fabrics and all of the things you had on your lists."

Dobby finally got disentangled from Harry's leg and hopped up and down happily. "We got rid of all of the nasties that began to live in the house and fixed the whole building into being a wonderful place again. We fixed the greenhouse, but everything in it died," he said sadly, as though mourning the loss of the plants. "They is not being able to get water and the enchantments was broken by bunches of pixies that tried to live there because they didn't wants to be getting wet."

Winky took her chance as Dobby paused for breath and took up the explanation again. "The library wing is on the south-east corner of the house and is taking up all five floors and is having a glass roof so you can be using the large telescope there for Astronomy. It is having a bubble roof, but you can't be seeing it from here."

Winky and Dobby began to talk about the observatory, music hall, formal and informal dining rooms, kitchens, the pool in the back, the lake, the series of smaller cottages that were surrounding the lake for those in the family who wanted privacy or for visitors who wanted it for themselves and the like. They also showed them the Hall of Portraits, where many members of the Potter, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw lines were stored with several portraits of other scenes and locations so they could enjoy themselves who told them secrets of the house from the time of its creation in nine hundred and ninety-seven, three years after the muggles had swept through and destroyed many a magical family.

They also learned of the Master's Office, which was accessible only to the head of the Potter family and held some of the most valuable tomes and a console that controlled the massive number of defenses and wards around the home. Harry would later learn that his new home was far more well-defended than Hogwarts and had a very, very large assortment of assault wards that were designed to defend against any number of attackers, most especially the darker nasties that would come about or that the occasional dark lord would employ.

Most impressive was the Solaris Sanctum ward, one designed to combat vampires who had not trained their bodies to sustain sunlight. It was also one that could be toned down, allowing them to simulate the day/night cycle that Luna was so worried about. They would only be able to use it to create sunlight, but that took care of their biggest problem on that front. Blocking the sunlight to shade the plant life from scorching would still be required, but they had a plan there, too.

xXxXxXx

"They should be about to throw up the bubble thing," Harry said to everyone as they sat in a rather large sitting room. The furniture was very old and stiff, but somehow still comfortable and everything was in a timeless fashion that was still appealing even after what he assumed was centuries after it was built. Emma had been quite amazed at the history that seemed to be in the building.

"I wish we could have brought in Crookshanks and Hedwig," Hermione said with a sigh. "I'm going to miss them."

"Me too," Harry responded.

The silence was somewhat uncomfortable as everyone sat, waiting for the inevitable change in their lives. Xenophilius was the only exception to this as he sat in his seat on a couch and hummed quietly to himself while Luna, Hermione and Harry shared another couch, not sure what to do with themselves.

They had all already chosen their rooms. Harry had attempted to take a room on the second floor, but the house itself had apparently closed every door he tried to enter while they were looking, much to Hermione and Remus' amusement. Finally, it was Xenophilius who explained that magical houses, especially the older ones, were partly sentient because of the amount of magic they usually contained and that it was going to herd him to the Master Suite since he was the master of the house. Hogwarts was much the same, only far more so because of the raw amount of magic practiced and the huge number of those living within it.

Dobby and Winky fully agreed.

Hermione and Luna chose rooms directly opposite his, all on the third floor and close. While the Potters didn't tend to practice the act, the house was built to the usual standards of the time, meaning the rooms were usually for the master's mistresses or immediate family, so they were also quite nice and had hidden doors to the master's bedroom, though none of them were aware of it as of yet.

When Emma asked why the girls were choosing bedrooms up so high, Luna said the extra stairs would be that much more physical activity they would be getting with their physical workouts and that they would all be close if anyone needed them all at once, so that person wouldn't have to run about. Emma had accepted it, even if she suspected otherwise.

The rest of the adults chose rooms on the second floor so they wouldn't have to worry about the extra stairs, Emma doing her best to get one for her and Dan that was as close to beneath those of the kids' one floor above, just in case. She didn't know that the rooms had extremely thick walls, or that mild soundproofing charms were built into the house with runes as a matter of course. What she was hoping to be able to hear, if it happened, was nighttime, physical activities so she could try to talk to her daughter as needed was the very same thing those charms existed to block out.

Xenophilius took a room one room away from them and across the hall, following his daughter's explanation and making sure that he and the other adults were close if anyone needed them.

Remus had planned on taking a room a bit further away, but was swayed by Xenophilius' argument of being close to the others. When he admitted that he was worried about his werewolf side, the kids repeated their original argument to him that they would be done with the time-dilation field a week before the full moon, meaning he should have roughly three full years without having to worry about his 'furry little problem'.

Dobby and Winky apparently loved the attic. It had house elf-sized furniture and uniforms galore.

The air was suddenly charged with energy, feeling heavy and thick, causing everyone but the two missing goblins to look outside where they saw a dark purple miasma rise into the air, looking much like a very thick wall of fog that couldn't break its form. When it met in the air, the apex suddenly sparked and the color completely drained from the top and worked its way down and suddenly, the feelings in the air were gone and it looked like nothing more than a fog was surrounding them in the shape of a bubble, but even the white of the sort-of-fog was almost totally gone. They now had a barrier that looked somewhat like a glass or watery shell to know where their boundaries were so they wouldn't accidentally touch it.

The mass of humans let out breaths none of them realized they were holding in a great whoosh of air.

"It worked," Luna said calmly. "We're now almost frozen in time."

xXxXxXx

**[Author's Notes:] ** – The next chapter, when it comes out, will have us time-skipping somewhat in the time-dilation field and learning some of the things happening outside of it. For those who are curious, a minute and eighteen seconds in real time is an hour inside the field. So, one full, twenty-four hour day outside is seventy-eight point two-one-four days inside the bubble (1 day equals 78.214 days.)


	7. Equivalent Exchange

**Title:** Darkened Paths

**Chapter7** – Equivalent Exchange

**Ship:** H/Hr/L, Nev/Susan

**Warnings:** Cunnilingus, Nudity, Graphic Sexual Situations, Adult Language

**Key: **"Speech"**, **_'Thoughts'_,** "Speech laden with magic"**, §Parsletongue§

xXxXxXx

**[Author's Note:]** - I am skipping the majority of explaining the past because it's all been done. They will talk and discuss various things that I want to point out, though. Assume everything to the end of fourth year was Canon. Fifth year is Canon aside from conversations between Harry and Luna and Harry taking more interest into Luna's life. Not much different from Canon, however. These changes will be explained on-screen, for the most part, so that you gain a better understanding.

**Full notes of all stories** can be found on the forum from my profile. If you want to discuss certain aspects or make comments for others to see, feel free.

Remember that they activated the bubble at one in the afternoon.

**For an explanation of Luna's comments to her mother**, I have posted a one-shot called "Darkened Paths: Excerpts" that is available on my profile. It shows several things in the history of this universe, things that are done off-screen and random omakes as well.

**Warning**: There's a lemon in this chapter used along with relationship advancement. As per usual, it will start and end, respectively with "Lemon Start" and "Lemon End". For those pleased with the H/L scene, you can thank Aealket for the particular idea and GPhoenix51 for thinking it worked. It was originally going to be where he practiced what Hermione taught him, but I didn't want things to be the same or it would make for a dull read.

**I'm out of H/Hr/L fics to recommend! If anyone can recommend any, I'd like to be able to read and recommend them here. **

**Recommended Story of the Chapter:** "Achieving Clarity" by PerfesserN (H/Hr/L/Padma – Erotic, romantic, adults only. Also available on Ficwad.)

**xXx Previously xXx**

_The air was suddenly charged with energy, feeling heavy and thick, causing everyone but the two missing goblins to look outside where they saw a dark purple miasma rise into the air, looking much like a very thick wall of fog that couldn't break its form. When it met in the air, the apex suddenly sparked and the color completely drained from the top and worked its way down and suddenly, the feelings in the air were gone and it looked like nothing more than a fog was surrounding them in the shape of a bubble, but even the white of the sort-of-fog was almost totally gone. _

_The mass of humans let out breaths none of them realized they were holding in a great whoosh of air._

"_It worked," Luna said calmly. "We're now almost frozen in time."_

**xXx Story xXx**

"What the bloody hell do you mean there's no point!" Molly Weasley bellowed loudly, her shrill voice getting louder with each word. "I want you to remove every spell on those galleons!"

"I mean there would be no point, Mrs Weasley, because it costs money to remove spells when you hire a goblin to do it, no matter the complexity. We would have to remove the jinxes and pranks from every single one of the galleons and it costs several more than a single galleon to remove such things. If we followed your request, you would end up owing us by about a third more than what you obtained. That is without counting the time it would take to do so, making it substantially more. You may as well give us your inheritance," the goblin said, idly wondering if the human was stupid enough to continue trying. They would be happy to accommodate, after all.

"Well you put the bloody things on there, so you can bloody well remove them!" Molly screeched, itching to rub the goblin's nose in this mess. She had to do it with Ron when he would relieve himself on the living room carpet and it worked wonders for him. Eventually.

"We did not," the goblin clipped out. "Mister Black had nothing to do for over a year. He had all of the galleons in an expanded box and, after charming one galleon, he would toss it into an empty trunk until he was finished with them all. If you wish to have your son fixed, then I recommend-" suddenly, the altered bubble head charm that he expanded to fit all around the Weasley family broke and the vile stench of skunk permeated the air, causing the goblin and other bank patrons he had tried to protect to nearly gag and forced him to quickly recast the charm, "-ahem, recommend taking him to St Mungo's or allowing the pranks to run their course. Each spell will meld with another and become something new and more powerful as they combine. How many galleons did he touch?" The goblin asked, not assuming too many.

"He jumped onto the pile of them!" Molly screeched in outrage, not liking how this was going.

The goblin blinked once, twice, and then burst into harsh, barking laughter.

xXxXxXx

Harry sat in a chair facing the fire that he had set in the room's fireplace. The group had only just gone into the bubble and, once the time-dilation field went up, Emma suggested that everyone put their clothes and personal items away before dinner. Everyone had gathered a large amount of things for their stay, worried about getting bored, even with training, and each had used Dobby and Winky's happy services to send everything to Potter Manor. Three years passed quickly; to the teens, it still felt like they only just arrived at Hogwarts mere days ago and the adults couldn't help but think of how the kids only just got out of diapers, but they were still worried about monotony, knowing they were effectively trapped, so they had numerous books, games and hobby items to use as needed. And, being a mother, she wanted everything put away and set in its proper place. Harry had noted with interest that she had suggested, rather than demanded as Mrs Weasley would have done, and wondered if mothers changed based on the number of children. Hagrid had to be firm and have tighter control on herds of animals, after all.

He had the odd thought that it could be how Voldemort controlled his Death Eaters, too.

That was actually what he was supposed to be doing right now, putting his things away, but he was instead thinking about the conversation he had with Hermione in the shower the previous morning, barely able to believe it was so recent, and what both she and Luna were offering him now that he had a moment to really sit and think. He was still very worried about what he felt compared to what he was supposed to feel.

He sighed, letting his head fall back, and stared at the ceiling. Harry knew, without any doubt in his body, mind, heart or soul, that both girls meant something to him. Hermione had always meant something, always been there, always a confidante and always someone that he held special inside of himself and in his own mind, but Luna had come into his life a year ago and he had found a form of kindred spirit within her and began to relish their talks together. There was so much that he wasn't scared to tell the girl that he felt anyone else would only pity him for, even Hermione. He knew the bushy-haired one's feelings would be sincere, but she would feel pity for him, even while helping him, whereas Luna felt empathy. Harry had learned the blonde girl was almost pathetically lonely and constantly under the barrage of cruelty from her house mates that she never once complained about, but she was an incredible girl with a beautiful soul and mind. He had come to care for her as much as he did Hermione, and he did not think he could continue without Hermione by his side. They both meant a lot to him.

But did he feel love?

Was it love to not want them out of his life? To not want them hurt? To want to protect them and make sure they were safe in their lives? To want them happy and do whatever it took to make it happen? Wouldn't that hold true for any girl that he was friends with? Or even ones that he wasn't even friends with, but simply didn't hate?

He remembered the feelings of jealousy he felt when Cho went to the ball with with Cedric and Hermione with Krum. Was that a sign of romantic love or just a sign of lust? He had absolutely no doubt that he lusted for both Luna and Hermione more than just a little, especially now that he did not have to imagine or wonder about certain facts, but it wasn't all about the naughty stuff, as he would be perfectly happy to have them at his side without those things.

Just not in the arms of another man. That would certainly upset him.

Did he have to recognize that feeling coming up whenever the idea of a girl he loved being in a romantic setting with another guy occurred? Because he also had those feelings when he saw families reunite and other boys and girls together and expressing their love as well. Ron did that any time the idea of Ginny and any boy came up. So, would that mean he actually felt both girls were more like sisters?

Well, no, that couldn't be it. He knew there were no thoughts of kissing your sister in a family. And there most especially weren't thoughts of ... other things he thought of in the past few days. Even he knew that. But then, he also knew that it happened, too, even in families, thus proving that love could be between anyone.

He sighed again, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, feeling the heat of the fire warm his arms. "I just wish I had a real family who would help me with this stuff," he mumbled to himself, thinking of Sirius, his parents, Hermione and her parents and even Luna and hers. There were so many questions he had that his life with the Dursleys just didn't answer. He didn't think he could be happy in a relationship with a girl with the kind of symmetry that Vernon and Petunia shared. And he thought what they did for Dudley was entirely wrong. The boy turned out horribly and was still an evil little bastard. There wasn't a balance there between giving him things and giving him rules and limits to follow.

Behind him, a grey cloud began to form about the size of a golf ball and stretching to grow into a large mass that hardened and settled quietly to the ground silently, now appearing as a large stone.

"I need to figure out what I'm feeling or I could screw up our friendships. What am I supposed to do?" He asked himself aloud with a frown, trying to ignore the voices in his head as they began to speak more in unison, beginning a soft chant just underneath the rumble of chaos the other voices caused.

"I suppose I could always ask the girls what they think, or maybe Remus," he thought to himself, as the gray stone poofed away into nothing and four bodies began to stretch on the ground.

Harry leaned back into the chair and huffed. "I think I'll talk with Remus. That'd be my best bet until I can figure out how to ask the girls."

"Girls?" A sluggish voice called out behind Harry, making him spin and draw his wand in a flash, only to drop it immediately in shock. "Harry?" Sirius asked, looking around. "Where are girls?" The disoriented man looked around, hoping to see some bouncing bits parading around or a few ladies drinking to lose their clothes.

"Give it up, Sirius," a woman grumbled irritably, getting up beside the older Marauder. Harry fell to his knees as he recognized bright red hair and dark green eyes from pictures given to him by Hagrid. "You- Oh my God! Sirius! What happened to you!" She asked, seeing an older and much more hideous version of the man she once knew. Well, hideous at first glance, and like he had been homeless for years at second.

"Lily? Harry! Where's Harry? Voldemort's- Where the hell are we?" Another man, looking much like Harry, asked, looking around as Lily's eyes fell on Harry and she stared.

"This is most uncomfortable," a dreamy voice said from beside and partially under James, looking around with beautiful, cobalt blue eyes that were framed in very familiar, blonde hair. "I don't suppose you could remove your hand from my breasts?"

James squawked and did as suggested.

"Harry? What's going on? Where's Bellatrix?" Sirius asked, causing James to spin quickly as the name caught his attention, only to stare in shock at his near duplicate.

"The hell!" James exclaimed loudly. "EVIL TWIN!"

Harry looked at the newcomers for a moment before he finally looked at Sirius. "Sirius? Is that really you?"

The scraggly-looking man looked over his own body, patting himself down to make sure he was all there and finally nodded. "I think I'm me. Are you you?" He asked, his thought processes, much like the others', still scattered and it was difficult for him to maintain his train of thought.

Harry laughed and rushed the man, enveloping him in a hug. "You fell through the veil! How are-" He stopped talking as knowledge filled his mind. He didn't understand the mechanics, but he understood what had happened. The voices were talking, but one was louder than the others.

"Harry? Pup you there?" Sirius asked, waving his hand in front of Harry's face as the boy spaced out.

"Padfoot? What the hell happened to you?"

Sirius spun around to look at James, who had spoken, and then wrapped the man in a hug. "James! You're back!"

"What the hell are you on about?" James asked as Lily prodded Sirius' shoulder. "Everything's a little fuzzy, but I remember fighting Voldemort and ... Peter betrayed us! That little bastard!" James yelled.

"Sirius," Lily asked, her mind observing and processing facts much more quickly and efficiently than James was able to, "is that really Harry? _Our_ Harry?"

As they all looked at the boy in question, he shook his head to clear it and smiled at the others. "Heh, Sirius. You're plan worked, better than you could have imagined."

"Plan? What plan?" Lily asked, wondering what Sirius had gotten himself in to now.

"Which one?" Sirius asked, thinking of the training, the Hallows, the security with the goblins, Dumbledore's entire stash of lemon drops he'd laced with a laxative and a love potion keyed to Snape, the plan to get Harry together with his bushy-haired lady friend and the multitude of pranks he had left for various people.

"The Hallows. I'm the Master of Death. I just accidentally used it to bring you back, along with my parents and ... Are you Luna's mom?" He asked the blonde-haired woman, who was currently checking her wiggling toes and the skin over her legs, remembering the woman's picture quite well from the frame that Luna cherished by her bed. The voices had whispered to him about exactly what he had done and gave him an understanding, but they were unclear on how the other three got there. In theory, it should only have worked with Sirius.

"I am, yes." Celeste said, blinking slowly at Harry. "She's near by?" She asked, though it sounded like more of a statement in question form as she looked to the wall at the left of his door that had Luna unpacking on the other side. The last thing she remembered was that Luna had been making a tent in the yard, pain, and then a surety of her daughter's safety while the rest of her world died as she lost ... _something_.

"Harry, what's going on?" Sirius asked. "And why do I feel drunk?"

Harry turned from the blonde woman, his thoughts racing so quickly that only the easiest of thoughts seemed to make any sense. "Well, you fell through the Veil about a week and a half ago. I got emancipated, left the Dursleys', escaped Dumbledore, Luna helped me out and now we're at Potter Manor for a few years to train," Harry said, looking a little lost. "Er, I'm also the Master of Death, now," he repeated as an afterthought, wondering why no one had asked him about it.

"What?" James and Lily asked as one.

"Sirius? What's going on?" Lily asked, looking between James and Harry.

Sirius sighed and rubbed his face as his thoughts began to become more clear now that he was focusing his mind. "Er, you and James were killed October thirty-first after Peter betrayed you. It's been almost fifteen years since then."

"Oh god," Lily mumbled, looking at Harry and beginning to cry, trying to repress the urge to throw up. She was beginning to realize that her baby had grown up without them. And worse, he had said he had left her sister's. So much lost time that could never be gotten back! He was almost as old as _she_ was!

"We really need to sit and talk so we can explain everything from start to finish," Harry said, looking at Celeste Lovegood probably more intently than was polite, "but Luna shouldn't have to wait to see her mom." He tried to ignore the fact that he was putting off getting to know his own mother as he looked at Sirius and smirked. "You guys wait here, I'll get everyone to meet in one of the sitting rooms."

"Why not just go all out once?" Lily asked, wondering why he was hiding them initially.

Harry smirked, finally in a very good mood. "Do you realize the kind of entrances you guys can make?"

Lily scowled and smacked James upside his head. "That's for being the blood that spawned a prankster, and that," she said switching to Sirius who had only enough time to yelp as she bashed him several times, "is for encouraging him! And don't think for one moment that I would believe you if you tried to tell me it was all Remus' fault!"

xXxXxXx

Hermione grumbled as Harry walked into the sitting room, wondering why he had used a sonorous charm to call everyone back to the sitting room. He had been the last to arrive and was now making sure that everyone was sitting still and had a big, goofy grin on his face.

"What's this all about?" Dan asked before Hermione had the chance to. He was a little upset that he was pulled away from seclusion with his wife who was showing him how thankful she was that he hadn't complained or argued about going into this with so little actual talking between them and because she had basically ordered him into going along with it. His respect for Harry took a nose dive for that interruption.

"Sorry to call you all here, but this was the easiest way I thought we could do everything we needed while everyone was together."

"We're going to be 'together' for the next three years," Hermione said, confused. "What's going on?"

"Yes," Harry said, looking nervous, "but we aren't exactly alone anymore and we'll need to explain the history, so I asked Dobby to bring in a pensieve so we could explain everything from the beginning. I know we all have most of the story, but these new people don't, really."

"What!" Hermione asked loudly. "Winky said no one else was in here when I asked! Who snuck in!" Immediate fears of Molly Weasley somehow finding her way in and bringing her entire brood flooded her mind, followed by Dumbledore and Snape. Then her mind began to entertain other frightening concepts like Death Eaters and insurance salesmen.

"Er, it's kind of my fault," Harry admitted with an sheepish grin before turning to Luna and stepping over to her.

"Luna, I did this completely on accident, but I've got something for you," he said, making the blonde girl blink in confusion. Rather than ask, she watched as Harry called out for someone to enter, and then her eyes bugged out as the first person stepped into the room.

A woman with dark, cobalt blue eyes, a heart-shaped face and shiny blonde hair pulled into a ponytail and two long bangs fell the length of her face on either side entered, her gaze immediately falling onto her daughter. A serene smile blossomed onto her face as she took in the changes to her daughter and husband. "Hello loves."

"Ma-Momma?" Luna's voice came out softly and choked with emotion, the hope buried within palpable to everyone. As the older blonde woman nodded, Luna leapt from her seat and ran for her mother. "Momma!"

Both women crashed against each other and fell to their knees, hugging and crying into one another. Celeste couldn't believe how much bigger her daughter had become! She was taller and even more beautiful than she remembered. And she had missed it! With a tight embrace, the older woman hugged Luna tightly as she smiled lovingly at her husband.

"I've been good, Momma. I haven't gotten angry again. I promise," Luna mumbled repeatedly into her mother's shoulder as Xenophilius stepped over to them and hesitantly reached over and touched his wife, almost scared to see her disappear. The man then instantly fell to his knees and hugged them both, beginning to cry as they encircled him into their arms. Only now did he realize he had begun to forget his wife's touch as her gentle arms embraced him and their daughter.

Everyone looked on in confusion and shock until Harry motioned for the others to come forward, scaring the hell out of Remus as he looked at the resurrected forms of three people he knew were supposed to be dead. But he could smell their scents and see their smiling faces, even as tears began to fill his eyes. "Sirius? James? Lily? Is it really you?" He asked.

James' grin widened as he put an arm around Sirius' and Lily's shoulders. "I'm as me as I ever was," he said, walking up to Remus as the werewolf wrapped him into a very manly hug, followed by Lily and Sirius joining in.

"Harry? What's going on?" Hermione asked, wondering how she was seeing four people she knew were supposed to be dead.

"Ah," Harry smiled shyly, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I was thinking about ... things, and accidentally brought them all back to life," he said, not being able to look Hermione in the eyes.

"You '_accidentally_' brought them back to life?" Hermione asked incredulously. "How the hell is that even possible! It goes against the natural order of _everything_!" Hermione was brought back from beginning to get worked up as her mother put a nervous hand on Hermione's shoulder, silencing her to give the boy time to speak. The older woman knew magic was real, but resurrection?

Harry shrugged, looking repentant. "I'm the Master of Death. Apparently, that gives me the ability to do this kind of thing."

Harry paused as the hugging groups took their seats, though the Lovegoods took a couch and huddled around Celeste, not being willing to let her go. And by the looks of it, for some time. Luna was practically sitting in her mother's lap with a large grin on her face, tears running down her cheeks and her arms firmly locked in place as Xenophilius wrapped his arms around both.

Looking at his godfather, Harry wanted to do much the same, but seeing his parents as well made him conflicted and confused. On one hand, he had always wanted his parents back, but when Sirius came around, Harry put him into the parental role and didn't really feel like dismissing the man. He had grown to know and love his godfather. His parents, while he loved the idea of them, were strangers to him, and as was usually the case with him, he was nervous around strangers. Especially ones that he didn't really know, he realized. He knew a few stories about them, but looking back, he realized he had never really learned much about them. He learned stories about what they did, usually a large number of pranks, but he had never really learned anything substantial about who they were. He knew his mother was beautiful and smart and his dad looked like him and was a prankster. That was about it.

And they looked to be barely older than he was. That was another thing he was having difficulty with. Sirius and Remus both looked as old as they were. Older, in fact, due to hellish lives in the past decade when you considered the expanded life magicals usually led. One was a werewolf that left him living day-by-day and the other was stuffed in a wet, drafty, dungeon-like cell, surrounded by dementors for eleven and a half years. His parents looked just like their pictures taken barely before their deaths, which meant that they actually _looked_ like the twenty-year olds that they were.

And they hadn't been there for him.

Harry knew it wasn't something they could help, but a part of him felt like they had betrayed or abandoned him for not being there in his life. And, even though he logically knew that it shouldn't matter and wasn't their fault, his heart and emotions didn't see it that way. They were important in his life before because he knew they were his parents, but that was it. He wanted his parents and, after getting to the wizarding world, he had faces and stories to go along with that desire. Actually getting it, however, made him realize just how little they meant to him after gaining Sirius. Or rather, how less important they had become after gaining Sirius. That part of him that yearned for family had been filled by his godfather, and he had become happy with that.

"I'm sorry," Dan said, reiterating his daughter's question from earlier, "but what is going on?" Somehow, he felt this was something special, but he was missing the importance of it.

Harry cleared his throat and looked at everyone gathered about. "Er, these are my parents, James and Lily Potter, my godfather, Sirius Black and Luna's mum, Celeste Lovegood. They were, uh, dead, but I brought them back, so they're better now," he kind of mumbled towards the end, not sure how to say it.

He continued, taking their stunned silence as permission. "Anyway, since Shadow Walker and Aureus will be building themselves a home and resting for a week, and since none of them know what exactly is going on, I decided to let everyone meet so we could just go over everything that's happening and explain what we're doing right now. That way, everyone is perfectly clear on what's going on and we can all ask and answer questions."

"Er, could we do introductions?" James asked. "And maybe explain what exactly happened after we apparently died? Last thing I remember is telling off Voldemort and sending a bunch of hexes his way."

Harry nodded, starting from his left and working across. "Alright. We've got Sirius Black, my godfather, Remus Lupin, Lily and James Potter, Celeste, Xenophilius and Luna Lovegood, Hermione, Emma and Dan Granger and I'm Harry, of course."

"Hello Harry," Celeste said, getting a shy wave in return. Dan had the odd thought that it was like some kind of Alcoholic's Anonymous introduction or that Harry would say he had a problem with gummy bears.

"Er, hello. We've also got two goblins, Shadow Walker and Aureus and two house elves, Dobby and Winky. For about the next three years, give or take, we're going to be the only ones we meet. We're all kind of in a giant bubble in time, so we can't leave the grounds of Potter Manor until the bubble breaks."

"We're what?" Lily asked, shocked. "How did you manage something like that! The spellwork would be tremendous, and that isn't even considering the impossible power requirements that years would take!"

"Why don't we start that history lesson, explaining everything in chronological order, Harry? Then we can leave everyone to get reacquainted, yes?" Hermione suggested, getting nods in return. She could tell that Harry didn't really want to discuss their return and seemed to have an aversion to his parents, moving away from them when they passed him to get to Remus, so she decided to try and help him with the suggestion. With Harry giving her a look that she interpreted as asking her to do so, she nodded and looked around, speaking to everyone.

"Well, simply put, Harry's parents died on October thirty-first when Voldemort attacked after Peter Pettigrew betrayed them fifteen years ago. Harry was then sent to live with Lily's sister, Petunia," they all ignored Lily's startled and grief-stricken gasp, "where he didn't exactly grow up in the friendliest of environments."

Sirius snorted. "That's like saying dementors make you feel warm and fuzzy inside."

Glaring at him for interrupting, Hermione continued. "Anyway, Dumbledore told everyone that Lily sacrificed herself for Harry, which gave him some kind of protection that made the killing curse he sent at Harry rebound and destroyed him, instead."

xXxXxXx

The majority of the goblins that surrounded Potter Manor fell to their knees as exhaustion took them. Almost immediately, they all reached into their pockets and pulled out a potion cocktail that Shadow Walker had been taking so that they could rejuvenate themselves long enough to get home and sleep for a few days as massively-long ropes were conjured to carry the goblins away in only five portkey trails so as not to alert the Ministry of Magic.

"Do you think it will be enough, My Lord?"

Ragnok turned to his advisor and nodded. "Most certainly. By this time tomorrow, they will have completed two and a half months of training. Shadow Walker and Aureus have my trust. They will make sure to work the humans into something worth fighting."

"Do you still wish that I post sentries to watch over the grounds?" The advisor asked, getting a nod.

"Yes. I wish to know if any of the boy's enemies set any traps or come sniffing about. We haven't the authority to kill, but we can use drastic means to emphasize that they should not return." The underlying message, of course, was to get as close to killing as possible without actually doing so. And to not get caught.

xXxXxXx

By this point, Harry's parents couldn't look at him without awed expressions. He had shown pensieve memories of all major events as he and Hermione explained the course of events from Harry being placed with the Dursleys, as James and Lily demanded to see them which made Harry angry and ready to refuse them until Sirius had said he wanted to as well, all the way through each school year.

The other families, except Hermione who had asked permission and was granted it by the boy, did not ask to see, thinking it was more of a family issue. And they had pretty good ideas anyway, each having known Harry for a short time while Hermione's parents received enough letters from Hermione that they were pretty sure.

The resurrected Potters were not amused.

However, after showing the time that he slew the basilisk with a sword that hadn't even been its full size, dueled Voldemort in the graveyard and the Ministry, fought a dragon and used a Patronus to drive away well over a hundred dementors, everyone who hadn't already known the details of Harry's life couldn't help but look at him with gazes of awe.

The Grangers, particularly, were in tears when they saw him hop onto the back of a rampaging troll. The thing was over twice as tall as the children were and all muscle with a giant club poised over their terrified daughter as she huddled in fear on the floor of a broken and busted girl's restroom floor, and he had hopped onto it as it swung to crush their little girl, and Dan had to admit, the respect he lost to Harry for removing him from a guaranteed naughty encounter with his wife was negligent to the pride and gratitude he felt to the boy for that event. Even more so when Hermione huffed as she watched the memory and saw Ron moving towards the door until Harry yelled from atop the beast to do something.

Harry was pretty sure the hug Emma had given him was just about as crushing as the troll's attack on Hermione would have been. Much nicer, though, he was sure. And less messy.

"Fifth year was a really big turning event in our Hogwarts lives," Hermione said. "While it had always had a little bit of bad, it was usually nothing more than the normal school bullying or weird adventures, this last year, we were given a new Defense teacher who took over in her role as High Inquisitor and used her authority to ban anything that she didn't like and basically torture the students."

They went through a few pensieve memories where they showed Harry being forced to write lines with a blood quill and the obviously unfair punishments in the school that were being handed out by the hideous woman, along with a few memories of the Inquisitorial Squad, made up of the worst of the purebloods in Slytherin.

Though James wanted to watch the memory of Harry punching the evil Malfoy spawn twice.

Once through several such memories, everyone on the outside was ready to spit nails. "How the bloody hell could they do that!" James yelled.

Lily turned on Remus and poked the man in the chest, her righteous fury showing as fire burned in her eyes. "How could the staff allow that to happen," she asked, poking the man's chest several times as she forced him to backpedal in fear. "Why the hell didn't Minerva stand up to the bitch! Even if nothing else, they should be protecting the students from that kind of activity! NOT allowing it to happen! Minerva even had the audacity to tell Harry to lay low and take that abuse!"

Remus fell backwards into a chair that he had eventually made it to and spluttered. "But Lily! She had the authority to fire anyone at any time! She had the full backing of the Ministry and could get rid of anyone who made a move against her! You saw what happened to Minerva when she went to find out why she had aurors at Hagrid's! They turned and attacked her when she didn't even have her wand out!"

Remus shook his head. "If anything, trying to stop her would have only made it worse and gotten rid of anyone in the school who could have helped."

Lily growled and began to mutter about how the wizarding world was too damned corrupted to survive for much longer. Across the room, not a few minds agreed, and one bushy-haired brunette and cuddly blonde began to think of the best way to fix it. While the first was thinking of forcing them to reform through advancing their culture, the latter was considering the number of casualties all wars had and how some were occasionally from friendly fire. The people in charge of their government right now would try to take her mother away from her again. Lock her up and experiment, wondering how she could come back from the dead and if it were possible for anyone to do it.

No one was going to take her family from her. Not now that she had it back. Not now that it had grown.

James was shaking his head and looked at the adults in the know of the wizarding world as he thought out loud. "I don't understand why Dumbledore has been allowing everything like this to happen. The paintings in the castle report to him, so they should have known who was running around and that there was a giant, bloody snake roaming the halls. Or the wards of the castle should have reported dark items or something abnormal. And he can sense magic, so he should have been able to sense Voldemort on the back of that blighter's head in your first year. And he was a moron for bringing the stone to Hogwarts. It would have been safer with the Flamels. No one but Dumbledore knew where they were, anyway."

Lily rolled her eyes and growled again. "He was the one who cast the Fidelus at Godric's Hollow, James. He bloody well knew that Sirius was innocent. That should tell you something. He also did it for Frank and Alice," she said, referring to the Longbottoms, of whom Harry _should_ have gone to when Godric's Hollow had been destroyed after Sirius was put in Azkaban but were now nearly comatose in St Mungo's.

"Look at Hermione's schedule in her third year! Every class in Hogwarts could be scheduled two a day, with three on two days, and that would be enough to get to every class and allow all students to have any elective they wanted. Nothing had to be scheduled at the same time as anything else! Sure, teachers would have full days where they taught all seven years, but the students could take anything they wanted and not even have full days of education like we had!"

Lily paced as Hermione's eyes widened considerably. The red-headed woman was right. Hogwarts offered seven core classes that were required and five elective courses; Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Astronomy, DADA, History and Herbology and then Muggle Studies, Runes, Divination, Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures. Twelve total classes that could be spread across five days, and not all were even required! With eight hour work days, a teacher could take all seven years, even when you take into account first and second years didn't have electives, and then still have one hour for a double-length class. But, when you _did_ take into account that two hours would be freed up, that would mean they had two hours to do whatever they wanted, be it time to allow students to come to them for help and assistance, maybe even offering extra help, or time to grade papers and such.

That would mean each student, even if they took _every single class_, would have two hours of classes, three hours on two days, and _still_ have time for Quidditch, homework and time to play, not counting weekends. Then, considering that even all classes could be double length, that was _still_ far less time in school than any muggle school! It was no wonder the people in the magical world were so barmy! They weren't even getting a proper education!

Ravenclaws, especially, would not want each class to go over on time as another one, along with anyone who wanted to take Arithmancy, Divination and Muggle Studies as Hermione had done, just on their first day alone in their third year! And Astronomy was late at night anyway, meaning that was one hour freed up as well!

That meant that Hermione had never had any reason for the Time Turner or to be separated from anyone during those classes. Meaning it was probably deliberate. Or those in charge of the schedules were just truly that idiotic, and knowing the intelligence of Dumbledore and McGonagall, both of which were in charge at the school, it wasn't likely to be the latter.

Hermione felt ill as she began to put this new information beside what she, Harry and Luna had discussed under the large tree in the Lovegood yard.

"But he's not _evil_," James pressed. "We saw him take a wizard's oath to do everything he could to stop Voldemort."

Celeste looked up from where she was stroking Luna's hair as the girl stayed curled in her lap, snuggled between her and Xenophilius. "Relativity," she said simply, looking back down at Luna fondly.

"Huh?" Several male voices questioned at once.

Being the first to get it, Luna pulled her head from her mother's shoulder and looked at the others. "She means that the magic of any such oaths would allow him to work such an oath to his own views or for the sake if killing Voldemort and it doesn't matter what happens to anyone else. He constantly uses the phrase 'for the greater good', but he never really says what that would be. Whether it is for the wizarding world as a whole, or a part of it, or something else entirely. If he said that he would do what he could to destroy Voldemort, he may be doing so, but not in the same way we would think. What he considers to be the better course of action could be based on anything, but as long as he thinks he's upholding his oath, it will be valid."

Lily frowned as she considered Luna's thoughts as the blonde continued. "We know he had not taken any action to give Harry any form of training to stop Voldemort. Dumbledore's views and plans could be so esoteric or widespread that he may not even plan to use Harry at all."

"But the prophecy said that only Harry or Voldemort could kill each other," James said out loud, a fraction of a second before Sirius asked to see if Harry knew about the prophecy to find out if he was still under the oath he had taken. He would learn in moments that he wasn't.

Hermione shook her head, not liking where Luna was heading. "To be honest, it says one will to die 'at the hands of the other'. One interpretation of it _could_ mean that they are immortal until that point, or that something would happen to stop them from dying unless it's by one or the other, but it doesn't actually say that specifically." She looked at Harry with worry clouding her eyes. "If we go by what we know, Harry, then ...," she trailed off slightly, not sure how to say it.

Luna, however, had no such compunctions, and wanted everything out of the way so they could train to deal with the issues and solve them. "From what we know, Dumbledore is keeping Harry weak so that Voldemort could kill him, which would remove the prophecy from play and, in theory, anyone could then kill him. It is the only theory that makes sense to us with the information we have."

Everyone was silent for a few seconds before Celeste hugged Luna closer. "Well, then we will simply have to make sure everyone, including Harry, can handle their wands as well as we can by the end of our training period to make sure such a thing cannot happen."

"Uh, where _are_ our wands?" James asked, feeling naked and vulnerable suddenly.

"In my room," Remus said. "I had been keeping them safe and planned to give them to Harry for his next birthday after managing to find out Dumbledore had them placed in Gringotts with all of your things from Godric's Hollow. It was the same vault he opened to put all of the mail Harry received as a baby as well."

Luna looked up at her mother and said, "I've kept yours as well. It's in my trunk."

"Excellent," Celeste said, hugging Luna tighter. "Then we can all train in this time that we have been given." She was curious about how it survived, able to remember the fire that had killed her now, but decided it could wait until another day to find out.

Seeing what Celeste was doing, Lily decided to help her along, getting everyone's mind off of the depressing subject for now. They could come back to it later if they needed to. "So, now that we're done with your last year, what about summer? Sirius and Harry mentioned plans for something or other and what are we doing in a giant bubble in space and time?"

Sirius shrugged as several pairs of eyes turned to him. "I didn't really trust Dumbledore. Moody had let me hear a few conversations between him and the old fart about Harry and Voldemort, and I knew from there that he had no plans to train Harry at all. He was planning on filling in most of next year with teaching him about Voldemort's roots and family, but no magical or combat training, not even how to find, recognize and destroy horcruxes. So, I went to the goblins and did everything I could think of to help Harry out."

He drank from a lemonade on the table and then continued, "they offered me a massive discount if I could get Harry to be willing to help them get more equal rights. They know they can't get everything they want and are too few in number compared to the total number of wizards for a good war, but the stuff to stop them being labeled as demonic creatures and the bans they're placing on goblins like werewolves, giants and vampires they would like to stop. In exchange, I felt Harry could try, as it was more likely that they would help train him better if they knew he was going to help, so they would want him to survive. I just made sure to leave it up to Harry."

Harry nodded happily. "They've given us their best warrior to teach us how to fight and Ragnok's daughter to teach healing and mind arts and stuff and they powered the time field for us for free."

Lily looked at Hermione, who had obviously been the brains behind the operation, though the blonde had been much more focused on her mother, so it was difficult to gauge her intelligence yet. A part of her was upset that she didn't share that with Harry but, like her husband, was keeping those thoughts off to the side and followed Harry's lead. He hadn't seemed as pleased to meet them as she would have hoped. Sirius got a much more heartfelt hello, and that had hurt. "And the time field?" She asked.

As she had been the one to explain things the past eight hours, most of it taking less time as it was done in the pensieve where things happened more quickly, Hermione continued, not being able to recognize or feel Celeste tense as the explanation came clear, "Luna had an idea for helping Harry to get some training time in and felt we could join in as well by using a spell to create a temporal displacement field around Potter Manor so that everything inside is happening much more quickly than outside."

"That's one hell of a spell," James said, impressed. "Who made it? If it had existed before now, I'm sure Voldemort would have done anything to find it."

Harry shook his head with a wide grin, proud of Luna's ingenuity. "We didn't make it. Luna and Hermione adapted it from one of Luna's family spells," he said.

"What!" James yelled. He had grown up in a pureblood house and knew the penalties of sharing your family magic, and he was also able to realize Harry had no idea what it meant. His mind instinctively went into Lord Potter mode and thought like his own father would have; that a woman had trapped his son into an unbreakable and magical bond for the family magics and funds of his family. Without realizing the consequences, he began to slowly advance on the wide-eyed blonde girl and her family as he spoke, getting louder as he continued. "Do you have any idea of what you've done! You've tr- AH!"

James was suddenly blasted across the room, knocking over furniture as he went until he stopped thirty feet from where he started. He had only enough time to moan in pain before he was suddenly flying through the air again, only to stop five feet from Harry's outstretched hand, hovering in the air and his arms stretched out at his sides.

Harry's eyes glowed green with power and his face was contorted in fury as a magical wind whipped about the others in the room. Harry's open hand closed very slowly, causing James to cry out in pain as the ancient magic that flowed in his body began to squeeze his bones.

Lily was terrified and fruitlessly searching her pockets for her absent wand through instinct as she shouted at Harry to release James. Only when Hermione and Luna rushed to his side and each grabbed an arm did he come back to the present enough to see anything other than the idiot hanging in the air who thought to threaten Luna.

"Harry!" Both girls cried, "let him go!"

"Don't lose yourself, Harry!" Luna said firmly, sure he could hear her. "Stay with us!"

Harry looked at both girls as the glowing power mostly left his eyes, then back at the man held by his magic and glared. No one else in the room spoke as they saw him calm enough to be more rational, but they also saw the girls were helping and didn't want to aggravate the boy to further action. When Harry spoke, his voice came out low, quiet and with a deadly calm that assured them all that he was quite serious. "If I _ever_ find you to be a threat to Hermione or Luna, I will kill you myself."

The girls on his arms were the only ones who didn't take a reflexive step back.

"They have been with me through more than you've seen tonight, and helped me in ways you couldn't begin to understand. They mean everything to me. _You_ are a stranger to me. Simply a dream and faces in pictures to me for years. _They_ have been with me and _you_ have not. Choosing between you and them will take me no time and I will have no hesitation," he said, still in the same frightening tones. "You mean _nothing_ to me in comparison to Hermione and Luna."

Harry let his hand drop, releasing his hold on his magic and feeling it leave his body and go elsewhere as his father tumbled to the ground in a heap. Lily and the other two Marauders rushed over to him as he sat up, his bones still aching and shaking slightly.

Sirius looked up at Harry angrily. "What did you do that for!" He yelled. It was really a predictable reaction as the man had lost his best friend for a decade and a half only to just get him back. "He's your father!"

"He's a _stranger_," Harry corrected, still feeling furious that the man had dared threaten Luna. "I don't know what his problem is, but I've been thinking ever since the Ministry and I know I can't fight a war with stunners and shielding charms. I also can't just stand back and let shite happen. Especially where the people important to me are concerned. That's what this entire bloody thing is about. I don't care who they are anymore," he said, looking at Hermione and Luna with a much gentler expression than what he was offering the group of adults near the floor, "if they threaten my family, they're as good as gone."

"We _are_ your family," James grumbled from the floor.

Lily helped him up and explained for her husband, very unsure of the person who her son had apparently become. "Harry, sharing family spells is very highly restricted. By doing so, it basically forces you into marriage, murder or slavery to keep the spells within the family. That's how James proposed to me. He brought it up, knowing that I had been pissed for over a year that I couldn't read his family spells, then tossed one of his books on the table and said I could read them if I was willing to put up with being a prankster's wife."

"I took the spell from the books," Luna admitted, "but did not let him touch or read the actual grimoire, so our magics did not bind him to anything."

James glared at the blonde for a brief moment before quickly looking at Harry and then away from everyone. "That doesn't change the fact that-"

"It changes everything," Luna said calmly, sitting next to her mother once again. "I released the spell from our protection. The goblin king said it would be examined for safety by his arithmancers, but they would not keep the spell or any notes on it. The only copy is in my possession with the original still residing in our grimoire in my room."

Celeste swallowed thickly, her own fear of the situation a bit higher than the others', simply because she understood the penalties involved. "Honey, are-"

"I'm aware of the punishments, mother," Luna said, cuddling into the older blonde's shoulder again. "I will pay them if required."

Xenophilius saw Harry taking action as soon as the man began walking towards them and knew his daughter was safe, so he hadn't bothered upsetting his family onto the floor to try and get up in a rush to stop the man himself. But, he wouldn't stand by while the man insulted his daughter. "I was fully aware of what Luna was doing and support her. I trust her to make the right decisions."

"What punishments?" Harry asked with narrowed eyes, looking from Luna to the other purebloods to see if they understood. However, he did notice James appeared far more shocked and agreeable now.

"All families have protections against someone removing spells from family grimoires," Luna explained. "We are bound by the magic of the enchantments when we remove them since we have to state our intentions by swearing an oath as we do so that our magics hold in escrow, so to speak. The books are mildly sentient, enough to read intentions and match them to certain criteria our ancestors placed within the spellwork, much like the Room of Requirement, but at a much lesser degree of ability. This is done so children cannot share family spells with others for the reasons Lily mentioned or nefarious reasons."

Harry frowned and walked over to Luna, getting on his knees so he could look the girl more fully in the eyes. "Luna, what do you have to do for this?" He was beginning to get very nervous as she refused to meet his gaze. "Luna?"

Luna finally looked at him and he saw her eyes watering, but not shedding her tears. It worried him. "Please don't ask me," she asked quietly.

Harry looked at her for a moment and nodded, leaning forward and kissing her forehead, making her smile. That was good, as it was his intention to make her feel better, even to the point of not acknowledging that he just kissed the girl in front of everyone. "No worries, Luna. I trust you. But let me know what I can do to help if you need me to. I don't want you to carry any burdens alone. You aren't letting me, after all."

Having received an awful lot of information about what was going on and nearly seeing a young boy kill his resurrected father, Emma was sure everyone could use a break. "Well, we've been talking for several hours now. Why don't we get something to eat and we can continue after a good night's rest."

Sounds of agreement came from the majority of the people present as many stomachs roared in protest of having been ignored for so long. Those who weren't resurrected had had an early lunch, after all, and it had been over nine hours since they last ate.

Winky popped in and advised that dinner had already been ready and was waiting on the table in the informal dining room under heating charms and took the arrival of four resurrected people in stride, not even batting an eyelash.

xXxXxXx

Hermione checked her reflection in the mirror and took a fortifying breath as she prepared to take Luna's advice. The blonde girl had no intentions of removing herself from her mother's company on her first night back with the living, so Luna told Hermione to take the night alone with Harry because she had every intention of asking Hermione for the same the next evening, hoping to show Harry how thankful she was.

It still surprised the brunette how quickly Luna had been able to get that out in the time it took to hug her and then reattach herself to her mother's side without it appearing any longer than necessary. They had begun talking from nearly the beginning about the merits of having a night each alone with Harry for the deeper bonding that was essential in any kind of burgeoning relationship. They hadn't decided if it was worth the risks of Harry pulling apart from one of them, but both could also see the benefits of it happening now rather than later when it would hurt more. It just didn't mean that they had to like it.

She and Luna had discussed various things about their odd little relationship together, feeling it would be best to make sure they were always open and willing to talk to each other about various things and felt, understandably so, that Harry would have difficulty in the beginning if they didn't support him and help each other to make it work out. Any kind of resentment or jealousy that didn't get addressed would only fester and grow, and possibly tear the whole thing asunder. It would be torture to Harry to make him choose between either of them. They already knew he would probably not choose either of them in that case. If their relationship was to work out for the long haul, it was imperative that they remain open and not take anything at all for granted. Including each other and their own places beside him through the horrors to come.

But that was why she was looking at herself in the full-length mirror. Hermione checked the nightgown that Luna had helped her pick out only the day before; a silky material the color of dark honey that shone when the light hit it just right. It was designed to accentuate her modest bust by having a more transparent top that still didn't show anything, but certainly brought attention to what was there while the material fit snug just under her breasts and then flowed down to mid-thigh.

Luna had told Hermione to have her night with him. So Hermione, just as nervous as the morning Luna talked her into going well beyond 'friends' with Harry and performing oral sex on him, was now readying herself to spend the night with her best friend, alone and wearing something she was sure would be several more years in coming.

Hermione squared her shoulders and walked from her bedroom to Harry's and knocked.

"Come in," Harry called out.

Hermione exhaled quickly and then stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "Hey Harry," she said quietly, the majority of her courage leaving her as she saw him sit up from his bed. He, like many of the others, had charmed the windows to let almost no light into his room since it was still technically high noon outside.

"Hey," Harry said, looking confused. "Is everything okay?" Only the fact that Hermione had entered the boys' dormitory on countless occasions to wake him up when he wasn't wearing a shirt made him immune to the fact that he was in his usual sleeping attire of nothing but his boxers.

Not to mention the numerous times she and Luna had jumped into the shower with him.

Hermione shook her head as she reached his bed, hesitating only a moment before getting under the covers with him and snuggled close. "Nothing's wrong, but Luna asked me to stay with you tonight in case of nightmares." Hermione blushed a little as the remainder of the blonde's hurried request flew through her mind.

Harry smiled and unconsciously embraced his bushy-haired companion. "I'll admit I've never slept better than with you two."

Hermione returned the smile and cuddled into Harry's chest as that simple comment brought back some of her courage and made her more comfortable. He was Harry, her best friend. There was nothing to be worried about. "She said we should spend tonight alone together because she was going to ask for the same thing tomorrow night after she's had time to spend with her mum."

Harry blinked in confusion. "Oh. Er, okay." Immediate thoughts of naughty things flashed through his mind, openly visible to Hermione who snorted.

"I don't think she has any plans to do anything, Harry," she told him, clearing up his thoughts a little. "I think she just wants to have time alone to talk and thank you in a more personal setting. We've been talking and think it may be a good idea to have a night alone with you to form bonds with each other so that we don't have to feel restricted by having the other girl around."

"Oh," Harry said, blushing. "I'm sorry. I just don't really know what I'm doing or what I should expect with everything. I mean, I don't really understand how I'm supposed to be acting." Harry shrugged as the two settled more comfortably into the pillows.

"Well, what are you having issues with? Your parents coming back? I'm sure that would have to feel awkward," she said, trying to make her voice light. Harry had been the first to leave the dining room and she had more than one request to find out why he had seemed so ... off. She planned to find out, but didn't expect to be telling anyone anything except for perhaps Luna. The others didn't really have any real reason to find out, and she held no trust of the newcomers except Sirius. But she knew not to betray Harry's trust.

Harry smiled. "Very much so, yes, but that isn't all. I'm also still worried about ... about you and Luna." Harry fell silent and began to get introspective as Hermione's heart jumped at the thought of Harry rethinking the relationship. As badly as she wanted to get into that, she knew from previous discussions that he didn't want to stop being in a relationship, but that he was worried about the relationship concept itself. Still, she was worried about bringing it up right away and decided to give herself a few minutes to get prepared for it. It would give her time to think a little about what they had discussed just that morning so she could be more prepared to defend their relationship in case of second thoughts.

"Why don't we start with the more shocking stuff first," she said. Her own curiousity getting the better of her. "You didn't explain how, just that it happened, so how did you bring them back? Do you know?"

Harry nodded. "I was ... thinking about you and Luna and how confused I was and was wishing I had a family to talk about things like you guys and, well, they were just behind me, acting kind of disoriented."

Hermione blinked. "They just showed up?"

Harry nodded. "Mhm. There wasn't anything big or flashy, they were just there. Or, at least I didn't notice anything. Then, the voices got louder and one was louder than others and explained that I can bring people back to life, but only if I knew them. It's just like the Stone of Power. I can call back people I know who trust me enough to follow my voice, but I have to know them, and they have to know me, and they can't have been brought back using any magical means before. So, I can only bring someone back once."

"Other magical means? You mean there are other ways to bring someone back?" She asked sounding shocked.

"Well, Voldemort was able to come back using magical means, wasn't he?" Harry asked rhetorically. "He regained his body through a giant potion, so that means there is at least one other. And Professor Flitwick said older spells tend to be stronger and more complex than spells made now. But, I think it means to be different from CPR or a defibrillator or something."

Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "That's true. It's one of the reasons that some of the more powerful things are found in older books," she mumbled, more to herself than Harry. "So, you can bring back anyone you've ever met?"

"That's what I don't understand," he said, looking as confused as he sounded. "It seemed like the person and I had to know each other pretty well because there was some kind of trust involved, but I don't remember my parents or Celeste. I tried bringing back Cedric when I came up here, but nothing happened."

Hermione frowned, but said, "I don't really know. This is a new power, so maybe it's something that you need to learn to use. It may be a little while before he starts, with Celeste coming back, but Xenophilius is supposed to look at the Hallows and see if he can find anything out." She looked at him and began rubbing her hand up and down his arm comfortingly. "How do you feel about having your parents back?" She asked quietly.

Harry frowned and took a deep breath. "I'm not really sure. I mean, I've always wanted parents, and Sirius has been great. But, having them here is weird. It's like they're other teenagers. They look like the pictures of my parents, but we don't know each other. As far as I can tell, they're still twenty years old."

"I think I understand," Hermione said. "Kind of like how a child may feel if they found their birth parents after being adopted as an infant, just without having been given away."

Harry frowned, considering. "Maybe. It just feels like having them here would mean Sirius isn't as important and I don't want that. He's been everything for me as a parent. And, it's like they would just want to control me like Dumbledore or something. I'm free of being that, now, and I don't want to go back."

"Shh," Hermione cooed at him, calming him down as he began to get worked up. "Sirius doesn't have to mean any less to you now than he did this morning. No one expects you to just suddenly accept them as parents and have the usual bonds. That would be foolish after not having them for so long. Just let things progress and we'll see what happens."

Harry nodded as Hermione put a hand on his face, trying to keep him calm before she asked, "is that part of why you reacted like you did when James began to yell at Luna?"

"Yes," he replied as his eyes hardened for a brief moment. "He had no right to do that, and I won't let anyone hurt you guys just because they're full of themselves."

Hermione thought about it for only a moment before realizing this was a turning point for him. That he was choosing his path for this war and decided she wasn't going to try and stop him. It was his to choose, and she had to follow him. He was her leader, no matter what people may think. He was a major player in this war, and the only one she would follow. Hermione had given him her allegiance long ago when she lied to McGonagall after he had jumped onto that troll for her.

She scooted closer to him and kissed him lightly on the forehead. "I understand, Harry. It's okay."

Harry smiled and squeezed the hand in his in gratitude. He had been worried she would be upset with him.

"So," she began nervously, "you're still worried about Luna and I? Even after our talk yesterday morning?" She did her best to think about the conversation and not how long he took to wash her back or the wonderful snogging.

Harry frowned, considering his answer before actually saying it. "I'm not actually worried about the relationship since we talked about it. I'm more worried that I won't be able to recognize it if I do actually love you two the way I'm supposed to. I don't want to disappoint either of you in all this," he whispered. "Or that I won't do something right or won't know how to do something I should."

Hermione considered him for a few moments before asking, "What do you think we will do differently by dating than we would just out of being best friends?"

"The stuff we've done in the showers, for one," he said with slight amusement, looking at her blushing cheeks. "But, I don't really know what I have to do to be a boyfriend. I've heard Dean and Seamus talking about stuff in the dorm, but they usually say stuff they've done with the girls and I don't really like to hear them talking about it. It doesn't seem right for them to say it, or to hear it, so I don't know what I missed or not. Especially when they didn't talk about them like love interests but like they were meant for the physical stuff since that's all they talked about. It just doesn't seem like something you should share with people if the person really means something to you."

Hermione smiled warmly, pleased to hear, indirectly, that she and Luna wouldn't become a part of dorm room conquest talks. "Harry, in terms of things you actually _do_ differently with a boyfriend and girlfriend are things of a sexual nature, really. Everything else is just like you are best friends because, in an ideal relationship, you should be the best of friends," she told him as she stroked his brow.

"So," he asked, confusedly, "there aren't a lot of things we have to do?"

Hermione shrugged. "Nothing more than we already do. Aside from what we've done in the showers with you, everything you and I have ever done is all we'll really do aside from some snuggling like this and maybe kissing more often. You can kiss a regular friend, but certainly never anything like what we did yesterday. I'd certainly never kiss Ron on the mouth, or Neville, and I would never be comfortable around either of them in the nude, but as a couple, we can do those things, or more," she said with a deep blush, but knew he needed to hear this. "A relationship is much like a friendship, but more meaningful and fulfilling, hopefully. You don't take advantage of the others, you don't try to out-do them. You try to help them in everything, keep them safe, love them, protect them, try to keep everything in balance and you never want to consider anyone else as more important. Just as important, perhaps, but you shouldn't want to spend more time with a friend than your partner. Sometimes, it is understandable. You never want to spend all of your time with one person, but you don't hold others in a higher regard. Equal, perhaps, but not higher. And, as long as you want to spend the rest of your life with Luna and I over other girls like this, then you can be assured that you are on the right track to understanding love."

Understanding lit up in Harry's eyes as he smiled at her. "Like when I left Cho in Hogsmeade for you last year? I chose you over her, even though we were on a date and it should have been important to be with her?"

Hermione blushed as she nodded. "Er, yes. Like that."

Harry chuckled quietly before he thought over her words and something else clicked. "So, a relationship is supposed to be equal parts and not taking advantage?" He asked, remembering things he heard from what Seamus in particular had said and how he had always thought the wizard was somehow in the wrong about how he described his exploits.

"Yes. You should want to share everything and do things together. What belongs to one belongs to the other and the other way around. Or, in our case, the three of us with Luna as well," Hermione said, wondering what Harry was thinking. She had seen him with this expression several times in their past together, and it was always followed with an incredible insight of some sort.

Harry nodded, his thoughts confirmed. "So, if you and Luna did things for me, I should, er ...," he cut off, trying to remember the phrase Seamus had used, "return the favor?"

Hermione squeaked in surprise as her breath hitched and she blushed brilliantly. "Well, that is, um, equality is achieved by, er...," Hermione trailed off and was suddenly very warm under the covers as Harry's hand came up and brushed her hair behind her red ear.

"Is that not right? Should I not do that?" He asked, remembering now how the Irish wizard had said that witches hated when a bloke wasn't willing to 'return the favor' and be considerate of their needs after making sure they did their part first. He didn't understand the comment about a button or switch or whatever, but Seamus and Dean had both brought it up a few times, so Harry was pretty sure it held at least some token of truth or merit, though who got to go first seemed irrelevant and like that taking advantage bit that Hermione had mentioned a moment ago.

Hermione flushed and cleared her throat. "Well, er, no. You should, um ...," she flushed even more brightly as Harry smiled and decided to commit himself to the relationship and worry about his fear that it may not work out until later. She had convinced him yesterday morning that he wanted this, at least to try while both girls already said they wanted it, and his earlier worries were where his self doubt was coming back and he was second-guessing himself. Even if he didn't start a relationship now, he would have to at some point in his life, and he knew he would never trust anyone as much as he trusted Hermione and, more recently, Luna. If something was going to happen, then it would, regardless of what else happened, so he may as well try everything within his power to be the best boyfriend he could.

Harry leaned forward while propping himself up with his left arm and kissed his flustered friend on the lips, sucking her bottom lip between his own and nibbling gently before pulling back to look into her shocked eyes. "Will you teach me how to do it?" He asked. "I want you to enjoy it and I'm not really sure what to do. I've never done anything like this before."

Hermione whimpered slightly as her nervousness and a massive rush of desire competed for dominance within her. Before she was even aware of it, she had nodded at him and had leaned in to kiss him back as she attempted to gather her courage. "O-Okay, Harry," she whispered as her breathing became heavier. "Um, you don't start straight into th-that. You work up to it with other things like kissing and t-touching."

Harry nodded and took her advice, moving gently to kiss her again as he moved his hand to her jaw to hold her gently. After several moments when Hermione's body relaxed, he trailed his fingertips down her neck to her collarbone. "All you have to do is say 'stop', and I will," he told her after pulling back slightly.

Hermione swallowed thickly as her body urged her forward, trying to get as much contact as she could. Shaking her head a little, she let out a slow breath. "No. I-It's okay. I've read up on this, but I haven't actually done it before. I w-want to, but I'm a little nervous."

Harry smiled and nipped lightly at her neck as she tilted her head back and closed her eyes. "Then we'll learn together?"

"Mm ... Mhm," Hermione moaned out quietly. She rolled to her back as Harry trailed his right hand down to her shoulder and pulled the nightgown down to bare her shoulder, which he immediately leaned over top of her to kiss gently.

"Is this right?" He asked, trailing his kisses back to the center of her neck and then down a few inches, flicking her skin with his tongue before his lips touched her to suck gently on her rapidly heating skin.

[Lemon Start]

"Y-Ye-Yes," Hermione stuttered, finding Harry's snaking tongue to make her twitch in interesting ways. _'Oh dear, merciful god! Where did he learn to do that?'_

Harry trailed his right hand up from Hermione's knee, past her thigh and up her side, smirking lightly as he heard her squeak as he went over a spot he knew was somewhat ticklish. "What do I do now?" He asked, wondering if there was a certain order and rather hesitant to touch something she didn't want him to.

"Mm .. um," Hermione swallowed heavily as Harry trailed more kisses at the top of her chest while waiting for her answer. "Just do what feels r-right, Harry. I don't want to go all the way, but you can t-touch ... Oh that's nice," she said as he went a little lower with his kisses, spurred on by her comments, "anything you want. I'll tell you if it's too much."

She felt Harry nod as his touches immediately became more pronounced and his touch less featherlight and more intense. He pulled her nightgown down further and let his hand trail her neckline to gently cup her breast over the silky material of her nightgown while she tilted her head back to accommodate his kisses.

"Harry," Hermione said, taking his hand from her breast, "under my gown, please." At Harry's nod, she lifted the bottom and he helped her out of it, realizing she wanted it off.

"Sorry, I thought you would want me to go slower," he told her.

Blushing, Hermione covered her bare breasts with her arm as she laid back. She had suddenly needed direct contact and acted without thinking, something she knew wasn't like her, and had taken her gown off before she had realized she would be totally bare to him. Yes, it had happened before, but the situation wasn't quite so ... revealing. Now, he was paying full attention to her body and, as thrilling as this was, it wasn't without fear. "It's fine. I just ... wanted to f-feel it better."

Harry had long been able to read his best friend and could feel Hermione's hesitancy. Rather than continue as he really wanted to, he laid alongside her and held her to him, kissing her gently and stroking her hair. "We can stop any time you want, Hermione."

Smiling contentedly, Hermione shook her head and kissed him back. "No, it isn't that. I want to, I'm just worried about what you'll think of me," she admitted. "I know we've already seen each other but, it wasn't as ... intimate, I guess."

Harry's eyes widened and, rather than tell her how foolish such a fear was, he pushed her to her back and began to stroke her face, then her neck, noticing her blush brightly as she realized what he was doing, but she didn't stop him. Then he continued to examine her by gently grabbing her arm and moved it to the side where she curled her hand into a small fist and covered her mouth to stop the moan that threatened to escape before he trailed his fingers over her shoulders and breasts as she looked away with her eyes closed.

Harry knew he was pushing the limits of the trust she gave him, so he took care to be very gentle as he cupped her left breast and rubbed it gently, pinching the swollen brown nipple between his thumb and index finger before sliding his hand down over her stomach to her panties and then back up to rest on her stomach.

Smiling, he leaned down and used his fingers on her chin to turn her to him to kiss her solidly on the lips. "You're absolutely gorgeous, Hermione, and your body is wonderful. I'd be an idiot to think otherwise," he told her quietly, then he kissed her again and didn't stop until her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Thank you, Harry," she said as they hugged each other.

"It's the truth," he said, somehow feeling like she thought he was only saying it to make her happy. "You're very pretty."

Hermione grinned and hugged the stuffing out of him. It had been a long time since anyone said anything like that but Harry, not since the Yule Ball in their fourth year, and it was wonderful to hear. "Are you ready to continue?" She asked as Harry settled to simply cuddle rather than to learn more. She was still nervous, but she also couldn't help but be excited by the prospect of what he was offering and didn't want his nobility to get in the way to stop them. Not only would it mean they wouldn't learn from this experience, but she really wanted to try it.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked again as she nuzzled his neck.

"Yes, I am," she told him, running her hand over his bare chest.

Harry nodded and kissed his way down from her lips to her neck as she laid back and held her hands by her head again, trusting him and giving him complete access to her body. He paused at her breasts and massaged her left breast with his hand while he descended on her right and took her hardened nipple into his mouth and sucked on it gently, causing Hermione to moan out loudly and arch her back, trying to push her chest into his face as the new sensations rushed through her body before he switched to her other breast.

Hermione grabbed the back of Harry's head and scratched his scalp carefully, trying to encourage him to keep going as she felt his tongue lavish her nipples and squirmed under him. After he spent several seconds on each breasts, she wasn't sure if she should be frustrated or pleased as his lips went down over her stomach.

Harry grabbed Hermione's panties and looked up to Hermione and offered her one last chance to stop before he removed them. "Can I take these off?"

Hermione slowly let her eyes open and gazed at him through heavily lidded eyes and raised her butt from the mattress to let Harry pull them down, which he did slowly as Hermione's hands covered her breasts.

Once Harry had tossed Hermione's panties to the side, he took a moment to look at Hermione's soaking sex and realized she seemed to be ready as half-remembered lessons from primary school came to mind. Taking her comment to continue to heart, he bent forward after parting her trimmed pubic hair and let his tongue swipe up the center of her crevice, making her let out a high-pitched squeal of delight as she automatically raised her hips to strengthen the contact.

Harry accidentally let out a small laugh, causing Hermione to look at him with worried eyes. Knowing immediately how she would take it, he looked up and apologized. "Sorry. It tickled my nose."

Still nervous, Hermione swallowed and asked, "is it dirty or do you not like it or-"

"I actually _do_ like it," Harry said, smiling. "It'll take time to get used to the taste, but I like it." Almost as if to prove his point, he went straight back to pleasing her. "Remember to tell me what you like," he reminded her.

Hermione nodded as she laid her head back, mewling in delight as Harry's tongue began to explore her depths. "Mm ... Up a l-little higher is the c-c-clitoris and- OH GOD!" She cried out as he immediately followed, finding the fleshy nub of nerves that he realized was the supposed 'magical button' he had heard about. "F-f-faster!"

Harry shifted so he had each of Hermione's legs over his shoulders and set to work flicking it back and forth as fast as he could move his tongue as Hermione began to shake and squirm under his touch, making various noises of enjoyment as he went.

Hermione's hands squeezed her breasts and pinched her nipples almost abusingly as she felt Harry work on her and she knew without a doubt she was nearing her orgasm. Inexperience and the way she was looking forward to this combined and had her nearing the edge and, without realizing it, she began getting louder as she stopped trying to stay quiet and began to beg Harry to go harder.

Harry couldn't help enjoying himself as he pleased Hermione. He hadn't been lying and found Hermione's taste truly wonderful. And beside that, he couldn't help but be proud of himself, knowing he was doing this to her. That _he_ was the one making her so happy.

Then she clamped her legs around his head and screamed out his name at the top of her lungs and he found a whole other form of satisfaction as he looked up to see Hermione's hips thrust upwards, her hands pulling on her nipples and her head thrown back in a silent scream after she finished a single scream as her entire body convulsed and twitched.

[Lemon End]

As she released his head and fell down to the bed and panted heavily, Harry came up beside her and hugged her to him. Hermione smiled and snuggled into him, happy that he was willing to let her bask in the afterglow of the experience. "That was incredible, Harry," she mumbled, twitching every few moments as tremors raced through her body.

"I'm glad," he told her. "Did I .. do okay?" He asked. Getting no response, he pulled back a little and saw her sleeping with the remnants of a smile on her face. Deciding he did well enough for his first time, he kicked the blankets up with his leg and snuggled in to sleep soundly after grabbing his wand and casting a breath freshening charm and cleaning the moisture from his chin and Hermione.

"Good night, Hermione."

xXxXxXx

**[Author's Notes]** – No, Harry isn't some great sex god. This was just Hermione's first experience, so it was bound to seem great for her. I know that his technique was bad, but he has to learn along with them and learn focusing too much on the clitoris will get too intense and to focus just above it and such. I had originally planned on putting Luna in this chapter as well the next night while explaining the stuff in the middle, but this was getting a little long as it was. I want to try and do my usual ten thousand words per chapter without counting the naughty bits.


	8. It Begins

**Title:** Darkened Paths

**Chapter8** – It Begins

**Ship:** H/Hr/L, Nev/Susan

**Warnings:** Oral Sex, Nudity, Graphic Adult Situations, Adult Language, Masturbation, Torture, Rape

**Key: **"Speech"**, **_'Thoughts'_,** "Speech laden with magic"**, §Parsletongue§

xXxXxXx

**[Author's Note:]** - I'm amazed at how so many think my first portrayal of everyone is how they will stay after so much work and so many comments to show how much I try to focus on character development. I recently got an Anon review saying Harry was too loyal to Sirius, was too harsh on James for how he acted and insinuated that James would be replacing the Weasleys as antagonists. Give me time and realize that I have been working a lot on character development, if you haven't already. Would I really show you exactly what all of the new characters are right away without letting you enjoy the ride? What's the fun in reading everything going smoothly?

**Timeline**: All of these scenes happen the same day the Time Bubble went up. While we get to the end of the day on the outside of the bubble, the scenes with those within it happen within the first few minutes of the day. I'm merely breaking up those scenes so you can go back and forth to stay interested.

**'Flagellum'**: Latin: "whip". 'Flagellation', act of methodically beating the human body. Occasionally interchanged with "flogging" or "whipping" (both of which were abolished in Britain in 1948.)

**Strappado: **is a form of torture in which the victim's hands are first tied behind their back, and then he or she is suspended in the air by means of a rope attached to wrists, which most likely dislocates both arms. Weights may be added to the body to intensify the effect and increase the pain.

**Warning**: A lemon in this chapter used along with relationship advancement. As per usual, it will start and end, respectively with "Lemon Start" and "Lemon End". For those pleased with the H/L scene, you can thank Aealket for the particular idea and GPhoenix51 for thinking it worked. It was originally going to be where he practiced what Hermione taught him, but I didn't want things to be the same or it would make for a dull read.

**I'm out of H/Hr/L fics to recommend! If anyone can recommend any, I'd like to be able to read and recommend them here. **

**Recommended Story of the Chapter:** "Fate's Gambit" by Robst (H/Hr/L – A second installment up.)

**xXx Previously xXx**

_Harry frowned and walked over to Luna, getting on his knees so he could look the girl more fully in the eyes. "Luna, what do you have to do for this?" He was beginning to get very nervous as she refused to meet his gaze. "Luna?"_

_Luna finally looked at him and he saw her eyes watering, but not shedding her tears. It worried him. "Please don't ask me," she asked quietly._

_Harry looked at her for a moment and nodded, leaning forward and kissing her forehead, making her smile. That was good, as it was his intention to make her feel better, even to the point of not acknowledging that he just kissed the girl in front of everyone. "No worries, Luna. I trust you. But let me know what I can do to help if you need me to. I don't want you to carry any burdens alone. You aren't letting me, after all."_

**xXx Story xXx**

Hermione woke up slowly and took a long period of reflection to evaluate her feelings right at that moment. She felt an incredible sense of contentment, peace and warmth as she felt her naked body snuggled firmly up against her warm boyfriend, a term she had recently come to know and love more than she had in the past. She had been using his chest as a pillow with an arm and leg draped over him as his arm held her to his torso tightly as he slept.

It was a _great_ way to wake up.

And emotionally, things felt absolutely wonderful! It felt right! There was no sense of regret or disappointment or worry that he wasn't happy with her, only the soothing thought that she was _happy_. Though, she had to admit that she felt an odd sense of disappointment to not have Harry sandwiched between her and Luna as had been the case the last several mornings. Odd as it seemed, she had been thinking of this entire situation as the two of them as a team to make sure he stayed on the right path to keep him focused and didn't do something stupid or risky, but also had been thinking about trying to completely envelop him in love through the two of them. She had felt an odd equilibrium with the three of them together that had begun to feel ... proper. By Luna being at her side through the whole thing, she found it easier to accept that there were two girls sharing Harry and less like an outsider, which she thought would have been the opposite way, with her feeling like a third wheel. Still, it was a good way to wake up, regardless of the missing element. She was sure she would enjoy her times alone with him once their relationship was firmly in place and comfortably established.

Harry took a deep breath and sighed happily as he woke up to Hermione's movements, having always been a light sleeper thanks to living with the Dursleys and needing to be up and ready at a moment's notice. A habit he kept at Hogwarts as often as he was often in danger there. "G'morning, Hermione," he murmured, learning forward and kissing the smiling brunette on the lips gently. _'I love waking up with someone in the morning,'_ he thought contentedly. It was such a peaceful way to enjoy the mornings and it filled up a void of loneliness he had not even been aware of until it simply wasn't there any longer.

"Good morning, Harry," Hermione said happily. "How'd you sleep?"

Harry blinked as he stared up at the ceiling and absently noted, as absently as his body allowed him, Hermione's naked body was pressed against his side before answering. "Oddly," he said simply. "I had a weird dream."

"Voldemort?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"No," Harry said with a smile, "nothing like that. It was like I was talking to the Veil again and it was explaining more about how I brought back the others besides Sirius. I've been learning to understand it more each night. Well, it's been getting clearer, anyway. It still kind of sounds like a huge crowd, but not as garbled."

Hermione frowned as she considered what he had just told her. She was a little worried that she didn't really know what was happening and he had seemed to become nearly possessed twice since gaining all three Hallows. "I was curious about that," she admitted. "You said last night that you had to know the person well when you tried to bring back Cedric. How did you bring them back?" She asked, curious.

"I'll tell you when I tell everyone else," Harry said. "No point in saying things multiple times and I'm sure they're going to want to know." He leaned forward and kissed his bushy-haired friend soundly, getting a wonderful moan of pleasure in return before he slipped out of bed, fully aware of Hermione watching his naked backside and angling to see his morning visitor while he tried to keep it hidden from observation, and went to take a shower in the joined bathroom. A very _cold_ shower.

xXxXxXx

Harry and Hermione walked into the dining room and were immediately assaulted by a huggy Luna. "Good morning to you, too, Luna. How -OOMPH!" He was cut off by a fierce kiss from his blonde girlfriend.

Hermione laughed loudly before she, too, was silenced by the blonde's lips and a hug that squeezed the air out of her, making for a very interesting kiss. "I have my mum back!" Luna cried out gleefully as she pulled away from the dazed Hermione who hadn't expected the light touch of tongue from the enthusiastic, open-mouthed kiss from her co-girlfriend. "Come on," Luna said, dragging the two over to her parents who were watching with amusement at the newcomers, "let me introduce everyone properly."

Harry and Hermione walked on either side of Luna with hands clasped tightly together as Luna led Harry to the head of the table and Hermione to his right and took her place at his left on the table's sides. "Mum, dad, this is Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Harry, Hermione, this is my mum, Celeste and you already know my dad, Xenophilius. I know we already introduced everyone, but now we don't have the rush of surprise and I got to do it," she said impishly.

"Hello," Harry and Hermione said together as Dobby and Winky popped in with their breakfasts while the Lovegoods already had partially eaten plates in front of them.

"I would like to thank you," Celeste began, looking at the two newcomers in a way that only a thankful mother could. The love and gratitude in her eyes was nearly palpable to the two teens. "Luna told me of her life from the day I died and it was one horror story after another until you came into it and accepted her where no one else was willing to," she said as she looked over to the blushing Luna and pulled her daughter in to kiss her forehead, making the youngest smile brightly. She would never get tired of kisses. Luna knew that now.

"She's a wonderful friend and incredible girl regardless," Hermione said, smiling warmly at Luna whose blush intensified.

"We were happy to have her in our lives," Harry continued, making Luna smile even more brightly. He loved it when the girls smiled. There had been a depressingly little amount of that as of late, he had noticed.

"Yes," Celeste said with a nod. "She said you were in a relationship with one another."

Hermione blushed, still feeling somewhat out of her comfort bubble regarding the odd relationship. "Yea, we are," she said hesitantly, trying to think of how to explain the situation clearly.

"You needn't worry, _Hermione_," Celeste said with a warm smile and saying her name slowly to ensure she said it properly. "Luna has told us of the both of you and we've spoken in length about this. While it isn't common for such a situation, it isn't unheard of even in recent history in the wizarding world. She's said you may still be a little while before you're fully comfortable with the relationship, but that you will work as strongly as she will to try and make it work."

Harry blushed as Celeste and Xenophilius both looked at him, feeling somewhat more out of place than even Hermione. He had always had girls who wanted to date him, and no small few had offered themselves in various package deals in various acts of ... naughties, but this was the first time he had ever accepted. It wasn't because of the ... naughties, of course, but he would have to admit that it definitely drove their point home to him.

He kind of hoped Luna hadn't told her parents about that.

"Out of curiousity, what is that on her pajamas?" Xenophilius asked, causing Harry and Hermione to look at their other third and saw her in silk pajamas that were such a pale pink they were almost white and had a large, orange, cartoon tabby-cat smiling from across her ample chest and with a matching tail hanging from her backside that she had charmed to wag lazily in the air behind her.

"Erm, it's 'Garfield'; a cartoon cat from the muggle world," Hermione explained. "We went to buy a lot of clothes for our time here and did most of the shopping in the muggle world and she found the children's section to have clothes that she would rather wear than the adult stuff and made it work with resizing charms. I thought it was cotton, though, and am pretty sure it didn't have a tail..."

"This is more fun than those plain things and I transfigured it to this," Luna admitted. She hoped it would make Harry enjoy it more. Especially since she refused to wear her bra underneath. They were uncomfortable to sleep in regardless. "There was very little in that linger-ay place that seemed to cover nearly enough, though some of it definitely looked fun. Certainly not anything that kept any secrets, regardless of what that Victoria woman said."

"Lingerie," Hermione corrected automatically, getting an unnoticed quirk of Harry's lips as he recognized a male-friendly term. "And it is meant to be a ... er ... _different_ kind of fun," she finished with a blush as Celeste's own smile grew.

"Nonetheless," Xenophilius said, deciding to get off of a topic that made him once again begin to regret trying to think of Harry as Luna's pet and all the unsupervised time he let them have in her bedroom, "we know where this may go and are fully willing to support it and even thank you for it and everything you've done for Luna thus far. I didn't know about a large amount of it," he finished, looking at Luna who looked properly contrite.

"I didn't want you to worry," she admitted.

"We're family, and that's what we do for each other," Xenophilius said, while Celeste wrapped her into another hug.

"It's in the past, and it won't continue. Personally, I still can't get beyond just how _big_ you've gotten!" Celeste exclaimed, shaking her head.

"You've said that six times already," Luna replied, still enjoying hearing her mother speak, regardless of what she actually said.

"That's because it still amazes me how beautiful you've become," Celeste said, simply astounded by what, to her, seemed to be a sudden growth of womanly beauty that was apparently already claimed by love. And from what she heard, that love was, while not guaranteed, still true to her. Harry wasn't simply after her daughter for sex and that endeared Celeste to the boy. Luna took after her and already had large breasts and a pretty face with doe-like eyes and was still getting prettier. And this Harry was not just taking advantage of what was being offered. She knew how easy it would be for him to do that if he wanted and he had apparently been a shy and bumbling fool around the opposite gender whenever he _did_ try to pursue a female.

Hopefully, she would still get to enjoy watching that and hadn't missed out on all of the growth her daughter could do in her rise to adult.

Luna blushed and hid her face in her mother's shoulder as she had once done as a child and the others chuckled as the elder Potters, Remus and Sirius entered the room, the males of the group sporting various colors of hair and glowing noses, overly large ears and dresses that were simply atrocious.

"Well," Harry said, smirking. "It looks like somebody got their wands and put them to good use."

"He did it!" Three voices cried out, pointing at each other to lay blame elsewhere before they laughed at themselves, feeling like the past fourteen years apart hadn't happened. The group, plus Dan and Emma who came in after the other adults, went to sit at the table before James noticed where Harry and the girls were sitting, causing him to frown before he took the seat next to Lily who was already asking the others how they slept.

"We talked about our family history and didn't get to sleep until pretty late, but slept peacefully and well until Luna woke and squeezed us," Celeste said as Luna blushed once again and the older Lovegood noticed the pained glance at Harry by his biological mother.

"Good here," Dan said with a goofy grin. Emma was in a playful mood the night before after seeing the loving family reunions. He was almost sure she wanted to share in that type of joy herself with a new member of the family but felt her happiness with Hermione bringing them in on all of this time control thing and ensuring that they remained a part of her life was what it had really been about. At least he hoped so. Diapers would be a difficult acquisition during this time bubble thing.

It didn't mean he wasn't just as enthusiastic, of course. He would later both love and detest the runes that silenced the rooms. Love, because Emma was quite loud in the big moment, and detest, because Hermione took after her mother for the same thing, not that he was aware of it yet. But as both he and Emma were unaware of her screaming out her release the night before, it would be some time before learning of it.

"Good," Harry said after finishing his egg and taking the last sausage on the plate next to him that the elder Lovegoods had been taking from. "But I think I should apologize for how strongly I reacted to you last night." He felt a moment of doubt as everyone looked at him, particularly the adult Potters and Sirius who still hadn't really forgiven him.

"I'll stand by what I said about getting rid of you myself if you ever appear to be a threat to them," he warned, his eyes daring them to oppose him. "But I should have just stopped you and not taken it so far."

"You're damn right you shouldn't have," Sirius nearly growled out. He loved Harry, but James was just given back to him and Harry had almost killed him all over again.

"Sirius!" Lily scolded, making Sirius flinch like a puppy that was yelled at. She then looked meaningfully at James who looked defiant before the redheaded woman smacked his arm.

"I shouldn't have gotten so angry at her," James said, still hinting at defiance before he sighed heavily. "Look. To us, we feel like we're still in the first war and are some of the major players. It was a very common and standard practice for the Death Eaters to kill off families, marry into them or just trick lust-filled males into sharing or taking their family magics, finances and all sorts of other things. By taking control over those families' money or magics, they advanced their own causes. And it wasn't just Death Eaters. It was a very common thing for people to attempt to get their hooks into a family for the wealth or political power or whatever they had when they just weren't happy where they were at."

"He's telling the truth," Xenophilius said, followed immediately by Sirius, though Xenophilius continued. "That was how the Malfoys got one of the largest magical libraries of unknown magics in Britain. They married into older families to get their magics and wealth, though only the Black marriage truly did enough to make them the topmost dark family in Britain's domain."

"How do you know that?" Hermione asked, rather curious about what their library may contain. Or used to contain seeing as how Commander Dobby had raided his old masters' homes.

"Because I used to be one," he said simply, causing shock to reign throughout the room.

"That's why you said your mother wouldn't have anything to do with him in the beginning," Hermione said in understanding, looking at Luna in surprise.

"Correct," Celeste said with a nod, answering for her daughter. "He left his family to be with me, meaning they would never allow him to return and he took my name. I refused to give him the chance to get my family's magic. By their family laws, once they removed him from the family, they couldn't bring him back without the death of the whole family, which meant that he couldn't claim anything of theirs as his and they couldn't claim anything of his as theirs."

Xenophilius grasped Celeste's hand and squeezed it gently. "What they didn't know was that I had stashed about half a million galleons in various emergency caches with a few other things in case my family was in trouble, or I was, and I couldn't bring them into my problems. It was blind luck I had copies of some of their magics, money and some things aside for my needs at the time I met Celeste here."

"You're a Malfoy?" James asked. The tone of his voice sounded both dangerous and shocked.

"Was," Xenophilius corrected. "I never subscribed to their beliefs or plots of intrigue, so I was usually disliked but left alone. The fact that I was intelligent enough to provide assistance with archaic spells and control of ... unique creatures and appeared harmless kept them from killing me. They left me alone and I wasn't known as a Malfoy by many because I was almost always out of the country and using an alias since a good many knew our name and despised us, so they left me mostly alone until I married Celeste."

"I would not have married someone like the other Malfoys," Celeste pressed, ending that path in the conversation for the time being. It really wasn't so hard to see that Xenophilius was unlike the others in his family. Sirius, after all, came from a family just as dark and the only difference was that Xenophilius chose to leave most often while Sirius stayed with James and the other Potters.

"Could we go over the spell used to put us in a time bubble?" Lily asked, having been thinking about it for a while.

"The original came from our family grimiore," Luna stated. "Its original purpose was designed to allow those of us with the Sight to use the temporal dampening effect to best use. Hermione and I altered it to encompass a larger area and the natural life around us. Basically, nothing but light can get through the bubble itself; air, rain, living and non-living things and the like are all barred from passing through it, so we had our house elves gather enough supplies to handle about double what we were expecting to be in here for."

"If water or air can't pass, then what happens when we run out of oxygen?" Lily asked, thinking of the basic knowledge about being confined in a small space like the boot of a car or a sealed room like on a submarine. "And, with time slowed so drastically outside, we'll have sunlight for ages before it gets dark, then nothing for the same time until we're out of here. What about the plant life?"

"We've already thought of that," Hermione admitted. "We chose this location because of how large the grounds were and because almost all of the land that isn't just around the house is heavily wooded. Those trees will support our oxygen consumption more quickly than we can use it up unless we have any large fires. Magical fires don't require oxygen to burn as long as the flame itself is magical and not just started by magic like the bluebell flames. Those don't use any kind of fuel source and are purely magical and can be stored in a jar where a normal fire would burn itself out."

"I can see that," Lily admitted, giving a grudging respect to the forethought. "But when the plants die, since they won't get water or scorch from too much sunlight or just simply die without the sun at night, then our oxygen use is doomed. I can see watering them with the aguamenti spell, since that converts pure magic into water and is permanent rather than conjured, but the sunlight?"

"That's already been considered as well," Harry added, having found the solution there. "The property has a Solarus Sanctum ward which generates imitation sunlight to defend against light-sensitive enemies, be they dementor, vampire or a group of humans attacking at night that we just want to blind and then take out of action. It can be strengthened or weakened to give almost no light or full-sun intensive strength. That will give light during the nights when our nights are a month and a half long."

"And protecting them from getting scorched?" Lily asked.

Luna smiled as she answered, finding it rather amusing to see the line of heads turn to look at the various speakers. "We'll use the same spells used in greenhouses that have light-sensitive plants and create an obscuring cloud or mist. We learned the spell when we were working with Elder Breath in Herbology."

"Elder Breath?" Sirius asked, not remembering the plant.

"It's an undead shrubbery with fluff instead of leaves discovered about seven years ago by Daddy," Luna advised. "It's all gray and feeds on rotting flesh rather than normal fertilizer. It's like catnip to vampires and other undead critters."

"The power needed for that would be tremendous," Lily disagreed with a frown, ignoring the information on the plant for now and getting them back on track. "We're talking about an area hundreds or thousands of times larger here."

"Not so," Hermione corrected. "By and large, most magicals don't think to alter something's applications in a new way without inventing a new spell. Instead of making a mist that fills all of the land and covers the plants like the normal spell, just cast it higher as a dark cloud that doesn't let the light through. We've done that at school just from playing around with the spell and the Weasley twins altered it to make it rain various staining agents on people over the entire courtyard by raising it up."

"That could work," Lily muttered, running through arithmantic equations in her head as the Marauders perked up at the pranking benefits. To make it thick enough to keep all the light out, it could possibly require more than one of them casting, but it could work. "What about the power requirements? You cast this bubble and now have four more people. Is that going to effect its duration?"

Hermione and Luna's eyes widened as the blonde nodded in thought. "I think it will," Luna confessed. "The requirements are based on how much energy is actually used during the time within the bubble by all the people and plants. Adding more people will use more energy, thereby causing the field to collapse sooner."

"It cannot be helped," Celeste said with a smile. "We're here now, so we should just continue as best we can."

"Having family back is worth more than however much time will be lost in this bubble anyway," Emma said. "It's a small price to pay, when you think about it." The majority of those there nodded, though Celeste and Emma noticed Lily once again look painstakingly at Harry.

"And you're sure you have enough food to handle us all?" Sirius asked, wanting to get away from the depressing talks. "I dunno if it's coming back to life or what, but I'm hungry."

"Dobby said he got enough to handle our needs for several times what we were expecting for almost double our people," Remus admitted, having helped the little elf plan in that regard.

"That reminds me," Hermione said, looking to Harry. "You were going to explain how you could bring everyone back even when you had to know them?"

Harry nodded as everyone looked to him, wondering what she meant. "This ability to bring people back to life has limits as well, apparently. It has to be someone I knew personally, they can't have been brought back by magical means before and couldn't have died of old age or self sacrifice. I tried bringing back Cedric, but couldn't, and I dreamed about talking to the Veil of Death again and it tried explaining some things more clearly than the voices said right after bringing you back."

"Voices?" Lily and James asked incredulously.

"But didn't Lily sacrifice herself for you?" Hermione asked.

"And you hadn't ever met Celeste," Remus pointed out.

Lily shook her head, speaking to Hermione. "I died first, but Voldemort was trying to kill me before Harry because Harry was just a baby and couldn't really defend himself. I was the only threat to him once he made it up the stairs. What made you think I sacrificed myself?"

"That's what Dumbledore told everyone," Remus answered for Hermione with a frown. "But after last night's discussions, I shouldn't be surprised he either got that wrong or lied. Since Harry was the only one who made it out of that whole thing alive, it suddenly occurs to me that he shouldn't know what happened unless he looked into Harry's mind, but that's dangerous as hell on an infant and a guaranteed way to damage his brain."

"I always wondered how he knew what happened that night when Hagrid supposedly showed up after it was all said and done and then left after Sirius showed up and left," Harry mused in agreement.

"It's also curious that our entire world knew about your scar and had a rough idea of what you looked like," Xenophilius pondered aloud. "And that you had glasses, were skinny and lanky..."

"What's this thing about voices?" James asked, wondering if his son was more bonkers than he thought already.

Harry shrugged. "The week before becoming the Master of Death, I was hearing the voices I heard through the Veil of Death in the Ministry. They just kept getting louder, though Hermione and Luna figured out a way to make them go away for a little while," he said, just to see the girls blush, which they did beautifully, though Hermione looked frightened that he was going to admit to what they did.

"But, once I got the wand from Dumbledore, I had the full set and now they don't bother me so much, but they keep trying to talk to me and tell me things. It's weird. I can't understand them fully yet, but I dreamt about the Veil last night and it basically said that ... well, you know how I've been lucky as hell throughout a lot of our endeavors?"

"Yes, but what's that got to with it?" Hermione asked, the only one who had actually been with him through it all.

"Well, there's apparently some kind of balance," Harry explained. "I've had a lot of bad in my life and a lot of self-sacrifice, and _something_ intervened and this makes the cosmic scales balanced, so to speak. Basically, I won't be any more lucky than the average person and have to rely on my own abilities from now on."

"So ... what, Fawkes in the Chamber, escaping the graveyard and all that was because you were extra lucky?" James asked, referencing some of the more memorable memories he had seen the night before.

"The graveyard, maybe, Fawkes, I dunno. But, essentially, you're right."

"And bringing us back using means you had fudged the rules a touch so bringing us back was possible and allowed the balance to equalize?" Lily asked.

"Right," Harry said with a nod. "And Celeste, I guess, was a part of that. Aside from knowing Luna, I saw her picture and that's it. I was thinking about various things which included her, so I guess that helped. Basically, I can bring a person back only once, and I have to know them well enough to be able to call them, just like using the Stone normally. There's some kind of a trust element to it for the soul to come to me."

"Which means we can't call up Merlin, the Founders and others to help us," Luna said with a sigh. "That is a shame. I'd have rather enjoyed seeing their reactions to what the school has become."

"Well, aside from that, you're also not able to have children," Harry said, shrinking in on himself a touch as everyone looked at him in complete silence.

"What?" Lily asked.

"Bringing you back is giving you another chance at life," Harry began, "but you can't extend changes beyond your own lifetime. That means, you can't have any more children if I have to bring you back. It's like you're on permanent protective charms or something."

"So, James and Lily can't have another kid, or Celeste and Xenophilius?" Sirius asked.

"Xenophilius could, since I didn't bring him back, but not with Celeste," Harry said uncomfortably. He hadn't realized how awkward explaining this would be. "But those two, no," he said, pointing at his parents. "Same with Sirius."

"But our equipment still works, right!" Sirius squawked rather indignantly. "I don't want to be a eunuch for the rest of my life!"

"Er," James' face reddened. "It'll work just fine, Sirius."

"How do you-" Sirius began before he looked between James and Lily. "Oh. Right. Well. That's good, then."

As if not able to register the sudden awkwardness at the table, Luna turned to her right to her new boyfriend. "Harry, can I have your sausage?" She asked innocently. Really, it wasn't kind of him to take the last one.

xXxXxXx

Bellatrix LeStrange squealed in sadistic glee as she laid her hands onto the scroll one of their supporters from high up in the Ministry had sent to them.

_Our records currently show Harry Potter lives at #4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Known wards are Owl Redirection, Anti-Divining and other search nullifications, anti-portkey and anti-apparition. No known magical users living near excepting one squib who cannot see the house from her own home._

_Your faithful servant,_

_Delores Umbridge_

"Gear up, boys!" Bella yelled happily. "Our master wants us to destroy the wizarding world's hope and now we know where it is!" The psychotic woman watched as all of the pathetic men followed her orders with extreme haste, none of them wanting to be called out by her for not moving quickly enough. She had a penchant for tossing cruciatus curses as motivational tools.

The woman sighed happily as she stared at the paper dreamily, anticipating the bloodletting that would soon come. This Umbridge woman was ugly as sin and Bella would destroy her just for the sake of keeping the bitch from her master's presence, but the woman was useful. She had the address for a year now, but didn't know if the Dark Lord was truly back or not and couldn't risk the missive being received by anyone else until the truth came out. Apparently, she had tried to send some dementors to kill Mister Potter and had very nearly succeeded, nearly getting him expelled and his magic bound instead.

Bella was disgusted by the hands-off approach, but could appreciate the artistic beauty of the situation. The Potter brat would be physically alive, but not truly there. His soul gone.

Which could have been the perfect container for the Dark Lord.

Bella ran her fingers from her lips down and over her breasts as she shuddered in delight. Potter was only a boy, but with her master in control over the body, she would have been happy to make a man out of him. She would admit that he was worth the enjoyment even if he _was_ a halfblood mongrel.

Perhaps there was some merit to the plan? It would bear considering.

"We're ready, Bella," one of the returning Death Eaters said.

"Then let's go muggle hunting!" All of the Death Eaters flinched as she held up a sack she always took with her on hunts. It was filled with the dirtied paraphernalia of all of her raids: bloodied blades and scalpels, fishing hooks, twine, jars of acids and salts and other various implements of torture.

xXxXxXx

"Albus, it would appear the Dark Lord is gearing up for something extreme," Snape said with an actual hint of worry in his voice.

"How do you mean, Severus?"

"I am not fully sure. He questioned me regarding my actions these past few years to determine where my loyalties lay and has been seeing Bellatrix in his bedchambers more as of late. He's also stockpiling our potions stores and gathering several items to use on assaults."

"Why is gathering potions bothering you so much? And do you know who the targets will be?" Dumbledore asked gravely.

"He has me creating the potions, but is having them tested by another potions master within his ranks that I do not know the identity of. I don't think he truly believes me to be loyal to his cause. And he has made no hints towards any targets, so I would assume those that are in a position of power," Snape sneered. Planning and making strategies was the old man's job, not his. If he had his way, he would be out of this entire mess to watch those on both sides to die and then torment those who remained from the shadows.

"Mayhap I should see about providing additional wards to some of the high profile families," Albus pondered aloud.

"Do as you please. Just remember that I am not aware of who the targets are to be or if they even exist. It could be to kill families, steal something or even the possibility that he is going mad. Regardless, it bothers me to see him determined like this."

"Valid observations," Albus acknowledged. "I will keep quiet and not alert anyone so as not to tip our hand of our knowledge. It would be safest to not risk your position within Tom's ranks right now."

"What of Potter? Have you come up with any plans to ... _reacquire_ him?"

"Unfortunately no," Albus said with a sigh. "The goblins are proving to be particularly hostile under questioning and would not allow me to speak with him during the will reading."

"I noticed you haven't been using the Elder wand any longer. Has something happened to it?" Snape asked, curious despite himself. For as long as he had known the old man, he had always had that wand.

"Alas, the wand seemed to have preferred a new master."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Harry has apparently found himself in possession of two of the three Deathly Hallows and challenged me for right to the wand with his held in escrow. When we dueled, the wand refused to obey me."

Even with his many years of practice, Snape couldn't keep the shock off of his face. "You mean the brat is the Master of Death?"

"Yes, Severus," Dumbledore sighed once again. "I believe I have been wrong these many years. 'The power he knows not' does not appear to be 'love', as I had originally believed, but 'death'. The display of power as he laid claim to them was ... awesome," the old man breathed out almost reverently.

To the children of Hogwarts, such a description of the events regarding Harry's transformation would have been silly and made them think he was trying to 'get into the times'. But to men of a world centuries behind the muggle and who were more used to the flowery language of the upper class, the word held its full power once again. Snape could recognize that whatever Albus had seen had filled him with awe and made him tremble in its presence.

It also made him weep in horror at his own failings and what kind of promises of the future it whispered into his ear, but Dumbledore had no plans on telling him that.

And for all that Dumbledore's explanation could mean, Snape quickly found his center. "So the brat has yet _another_ title to add to his list. Bah!"

Dumbledore ignored the man's spite and asked, "are you aware of any plans coming up in the near future?"

"Unfortunately no. I believe I will be out of the loop, as it were, until after the Dark Lord can come up with a suitable test of my loyalties."

"I am sorry for the hardships working for the light is causing you, Severus. Thank you for your sacrifices."

"I do as I must," Snape said. _'It isn't as if I am not fond of the ... bonuses, the Dark Lord offers, after all. And it is quite refreshing to do most of what I please, you old fool. If I had my way, I would be rid of the lot of you.'_

xXxXxXx

With the aid of Peter Pettigrew's memories, thoughtfully ripped from the little bastard's mind from her master, Bellatrix LeStrange and her six cohorts, Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy Juniors, along with their three minders, Julian Calwen, Robertus Magell and Bob, a mindless brute who took up the name as the only thing he knew how to write but had an artistic flair for torture that Bella truly respected, portkeyed into the back hard of Number Four Privet Drive.

"Ittle wittle Death Nibblets," Bella cooed to the three children who had yet to earn the true title of 'Death Eater'. "Do you wemember what we're here to do? Hm? Do ya?"

"Kill Potter and his muggle family after a nice long session of torture," Draco repeated. As the leader of his group, it was left for him to speak. It wasn't as if his two lackeys had a brain cell between them, after all.

"Good!" Bella squealed in delight. "Let's go. You three," she pointed at the older three who were meant to mind the younger ones and became all business, "will go through the front under disillusionment charms. Herd them to the main living area and we'll do our work there."

Without a backward glance or a spoken word, the adults moved like wraiths to the front and did as ordered while she shepherded the youngsters like a mother hen to the back door. "Wemember my 'ittle Nibblers, we don't want to kill wight away. Stunners only."

With that, she blasted the door open and rushed in, letting Malfoy who had followed her right in stun the horse-like woman, though it took his third shot to actually hit her. They saw red lights flash through the doorway and went in quickly to see two very fat males laying prostrate on the floor.

"Find Potty!" Bella hissed, causing the others to move through the house. While the adults moved silently, the children stomped around without apparent care and didn't bother trying to walk on their toes, the little bastards! She would have to speak to her master about this travesty. Too many recruits were like re'em running through a finery shop.

Minutes later, all of her group were back downstairs and giving rather negative reports. "I'm sorry, Auntie Bella, but Potter isn't here. We didn't even find anything magical," Draco whined.

Calwen had silenced the room already, so Bella had no problems screaming in rage and firing a short cruciatus at the largest male. "Where is Potter!"

"AH!" Vernon Dursley screamed as his entire body felt like it were on fire and being pierced by his fishing lures and then pulled. "We don't know! We left the freak at the train station as soon as we saw him!"

"Magell! Read this muggle's mind!" The crazed woman screeched.

Magell stepped forward and pointed his wand at the horrified muggle in front of him. He lived for moment's like this. He was a mind healer at St Mungo's for the past twenty-three years and playing with the memories of his patients was always something he quite enjoyed. Especially the very young and elderly. Always so much easier and there was something _twisted_ about being able to force them to do what he willed. Even better, any mind magic residue was easily explained as his job, thus keeping him out of suspicion regardless of murders, thefts, lost money or even running amok to do various actions that they would normally never do.

Was it any wonder there were so many older women turning tricks in Knockturn Alley?

He entered into the fat man's mind and checked the memory of the train station to see if the muggle had told the truth, only to find the lingering sentinel that was still active.

He was wholly unprepared to meet any form of resistance within Vernon's mind and was therefore not fast enough to protect himself and Magell simply dropped to the ground to those who were on the outside while, within his mind, all of Vernon's memories of beating Harry were put into his mind and he was forced to live through them as Harry Potter.

"What!" Bella screamed in anger. "Enough of this! You! Fat boy! Where is Potter!"

"I ... I don't know!" Dudley cried out through snot-filled sniffles. The freaks were revolting and turning on their betters!

"It's true!" Petunia cried out. "We left the fr- er, the boy at the station and haven't seen him since!"

"Then what happened to Magell? Hm?"

"I don't know!" Petunia screeched. "Please! We don't know where the freak is! Just leave us alone!"

Bellatrix knew she wasn't capable of performing any of the mind arts that would allow her the chance to enter these muggles' memories and see if they were telling the truth, and thankfully her ... unique mindset kept her safe as a natural form of occlumency like a werewolf's. However, they had all night and no one was able to withstand her ministrations for long.

"Drakey Wakey," the psychotic woman cooed.

"Yes, Aunt Bella?"

"You're about the same age as your father was with his first conquest," she explained, running a blackened fingernail down his chin as Petunia's face paled. "You and your friends shall prove yourselves men tonight."

She giggled as she magicked the two male Dursleys into petrified states and used sticking charms on their eyelids to the top of their eye sockets to force them to watch before vanishing Petunia's clothing away.

"Er, do we really have to, Aunt Bella?" Draco asked, frowning at the parchment-like body in front of him.

"Yes!" Bellatrix screeched, hitting all three with spells to increase their blood flow. Regardless of their views of Petunia's beauty, or lack thereof, they were adolescent boys who just got to see their first naked woman. While not a pleasant sight, they found themselves anticipating this new chance. "Now take her!"

"No!" Petunia screeched as the boys began to disrobe. "Please no!"

"Flagellum!" Bella chirruped in glee, letting out a purple string of light lash out and leave an angry red whipping mark on the woman's back, causing her to scream in pain.

"Petunia! You freak bastards! Don't you dare touch my wife!"

Bellatrix cackled as she stuck a pulley to the ceiling above both of the fat males while Calwen took the cue to tie their hands behind their backs. He was a long time raider with Bellatrix and knew the woman's habits. This had been one of her favorite games with muggles when she had time to play. He wasn't too fond of their screams and yells, but he would never again suggest silencing them. That was her favorite part.

With a sticking charm to some rope, they pulled Vernon and Dudley into the air, forcing their arms to straighten and then lift backwards, supporting all of their weight on their shoulders and the socket joints therein.

It came as no surprise that sickening pops could be heard as they failed to support their heavy frames. It was pure skill that had the Death Eaters raise them just right so that the tendons didn't snap, ripping their arms off. Of course, Bella wasn't known for leaving a painful technique with room to improve, so she giggled like a school girl as she pulled out two iron balls attached to thin chains, vanished their clothing, and then attached them with permanent sticking charms to their scrotums, ensuring the chains were tied tightly around each testicle, and then let them dangle even as Petunia's screams filled the air as Malfoy took her without giving her time to become aroused, forcing the tender flesh to begin tearing.

"Now! We're going to ask some questions and you're going to answer promptly and nicely or I'll begin to flay your skin from your bodies! Allow me to show you!" With a high-pitched squee, Bella flicked her wand and a little round smiley face peeled away from Vernon's chest, making his nipples the eyes, bellybutton the nose and the now crescent-shaped wound to smile widely at her.

Vernon yelled in pain as Bob raised his hand, gaining Bella's attention. "'Escuse me, Bella. Kin I be usin' the little whale of a boy? I ain' had any this young'in a long time, er as supple."

Bellatrix frowned and waved the man off with her hand. She was busy playing with the walrus man and didn't have time for both. And she was used to several of the male Death Eaters using boys for their pursuits. Several were kept around between each raid until a new group could be obtained to replace the old and used ones who stopped fighting. He also always took the youngest boy he could find when they raided a muggle home. He had no tastes for women or age. "Whatever. Just leave enough to question later."

Bob smiled a wicked grin and grabbed Dudley's face with a filth-encrusted hand, making him look into his eyes. "I'ma gonna make you squeal like a piggy," Bob said with a smile.

Dudley had just a moment to ponder what the smelly man said before he felt something hot and hard pressing between his arse cheeks and he then did exactly that. He squealed like a piggy.

"Now, now, Mister Muggle," Bella asked as she marched in front of the walrus man with her hands and wand behind her back, even as Malfoy let go and allowed Goyle to replace him and gagged the bitch's screaming for another new experience, "tell ittle widdle ol' me what Dumbledore had planned for Potty's twaining this summer!"

"You bitch! Let my family go or I'll- AH! Fucking freak! AH!" Vernon was cut off as one eyebrow was added to the face on his chest.

"Oooh!" Bella cackled. "You're going to take a long time to learn!"

Throughout the night for the next five hours, Bella and the Death Eaters learned of Harry's pre-Hogwarts life and the hatred the Dursleys held for all magic users, though not before Vernon had been peeled of all flesh and his several layers of fat slid from his body to pool at his dangling feet. He was also missing several teeth, all of his fingernails, the weights tied to his scrotum were summoned (thereby castrating him) and several handfuls of salt had been tossed onto his body after Bella decided she was in a Christmas mood and wanted it to look like bloodied snow.

Dudley had finally gotten to experience sex, but found he had no taste for it as he thought he would from the skin magazines his father had given him. He had never, once in his life, thought he would experience something like that. Especially with a man who didn't own a bathtub. He was screaming everything he knew about the freak as rapidly as possible, even in between finding the other uses a man could use for a mouth.

Bella had been horribly saddened that he was being so forthcoming.

But it had been Petunia that had been the most depressing. Oh, it wasn't that she had no information. No, it was the information she provided that made it so horrible. There was a blood protection ward on the house that, while it kept people from finding the home and kept those of ill intent away, it was powered by an emotion that wasn't shared amongst the primary components. Harry and his blood relatives did not love each other.

Grudging acceptance had been enough to keep Harry Potter in obscurity for the first decade of his life, but that was all. It also kept those who were their enemies from approaching.

That was when Bellatrix had her genius plan!

While Petunia took her punishment from the three youths, and acting far too enthusiastic for Bella's tastes, were she focused more on that, Bella pondered about how they could get through those protections now when they couldn't in the past.

Then she stumbled upon the answer. Her master had created a portkey that went right through. As smart and powerful as the man was, she knew he couldn't do that if what she was told was to be believed. Until she realized Petunia had called it a blood ward.

Which was based on heredity and the life fluid of Harry's mother, meaning her sister and Harry. Lord Voldemort had taken Potter's blood during the ritual that resurrected him, giving him that same degree of protection!

Bella glared at the horse-like woman as she lay slumped on the floor, covered in sweat. None of the boys were selfless enough to pull out of her and had filled her with their seed, but she served a portion of her purpose in making them men now. Bellatrix LeStrange knew that nothing more would be forthcoming from that mind for now. She knew nothing of Potter or his current whereabouts.

But perhaps she could be of use to her master? If that blood protection worked for him, why not now for the Dark Lord?

The psychotic woman looked to Vernon who hung limply from the ceiling, having long since succumbed to bloodletting and was now dead. He had been entertaining, but didn't last nearly as long as others.

The boy, while having his entire bottom half covered in blood and feces, was basically unharmed as well. Bob was a very large man with great strength, and it hadn't taken long to break the boy, much to her ire. He answered everything they asked in between begging for it all to end. She was quite glad Bob would be chaining the little beast in his basement for later so she wouldn't have to deal with it. She would have just killed him, but if things worked out with her plans, but something happened to the bitch, then the little brat would be a good secondary as sharing the same blood.

"Alright!" She barked out suddenly, making Bob shove Dudley's face from his lap and stand from the couch. That tone meant it was time to go. "We'll take the two alive! Bob, you can keep your pet-" she ignored the boy's pig-like squeal or that it caused Bob to react again, "-but I want him kept alive. The bitch is going to meet the Dark Lord. We may have a use of her! First, I want to kill at a neighbor's house and then we leave! Calwen, destroy that," she ordered, pointing at the remains of Vernon Dursley.

As they left, Calwen used a bludgeoning hex to destroy the body so bits of body were flung everywhere before walking across the street to kill the family and cast the dark mark in the air.

Sensors within Arabella Figg's house, designed to look like standard alarms began going off and the woman rushed as quickly as she could to the window to see the smoky green skull and snake in the air.

"Oh no!" She cried out, running to the fireplace to floo call Dumbledore.

xXxXxXx

"James! Sirius! Cool it!" Hermione scolded as the two tried starting a food fight with the mashed potatoes and an errant carrot had found its path whizzing by her head. The day had progressed with the occupants of the home getting to know one another more than had been the case in the day before.

"Daniel!" Emma also scolded her own husband as the man snorted in an attempt to maintain his laughter. He couldn't help it! Hermione had been commanding Harry and the pranksters just like Lily and they all reacted frighteningly similar to one another. The only difference was that Harry only listened to Hermione and not Lily while they all listened to his daughter. At least until she turned away and wasn't looking any longer.

Luna had already learned 'The Look" in use with Harry. Apparently, she had learned to use it in the beginning stages of the summer or some time during their school year, though Dan was quite sure it was a biological trait.

"What I want to know is how the twins cracked our password," James said, making Remus and Sirius look at him curiously.

"What do you mean?" They asked as one.

"Well, we've specifically designed that map to insult anyone who used any revealing spells on it that could be learned in the Hogwarts library. We scoured that place and even designed it to block two from the restricted section. How did they figure it out? That wasn't exactly a phrase that someone could just think up and we cleared it before Filch nabbed it. He just took everything in our pockets. He didn't know what it was," James clarified, munching on his roast beast. He wasn't sure what it was, but decided he was okay with not knowing.

"You're right," Harry commented. "Snape caught me with it in third year and it insulted his nose," he ended with a snicker.

"Yea, it was keyed to his magical signature, along with all of the faculty of the school," James said proudly. This had been _his_ handiwork. "If anyone, even Dumbledore, tried to use it, then it would insult them with some preset things."

"Perhaps it was Dumbledore," Luna suggested in between making a mashed potato volcano with her fork and gravy lava to trail down to the carrot villagers. She looked up in time to see everyone looking at her. "What? It makes sense. If we take what we know and that he seems to know everything going on within the school, then he may have given it to them, along with the activation phrase. I mean, the Weasleys are ardent supporters of his and they were right in place for it to end up with Harry later on."

"Then why wouldn't he have known what was happening with you?" Hermione asked, hoping to put a hole in Luna's theory. She was almost fully of the mind that Dumbledore was evil, but felt someone had to play Devil's Advocate.

"Who says he didn't?" Dan suggested, causing his daughter to frown, but not speak again. As much as she hated to admit it, she had a feeling he was spot on. Dumbledore always seemed to have a habit of not being around for things that could be handled by other people.

"Where'd Harry go, anyway?" Sirius asked. He hadn't seen Harry since he finished his dinner almost two hours ago. Everyone had been at the table finishing and talking since then.

"Yea, he left right after he ate," James added.

"Even though Shadow Walker is going to be resting a few days to recover his lost rest while protecting us," Luna began, "Harry doesn't want to hold off on training. That's where he was before dinner. He got help from Dobby to locate a room where he could practice various spells for now until he chose to stop."

"He also wanted to explore the house," Hermione admitted. "He wasn't sure which he would be doing for right now."

Indeed. At that very moment, Harry was lost somewhere on what he thought was the third floor and passing a large ballroom for the third time. "Damn it! I'm just going in a bloody straight line!"

An hour later found everyone going to their rooms for a good night's rest. James, Remus and Sirius decided to go to Sirius' room to discuss changes they felt were more personal that hadn't been addressed while Celeste and Xenophilius were given the night free from Luna, at her own discretion, so they could pursue more ... _personal_ acquaintances with one another and rediscover themselves.

Meanwhile, Hermione stopped Luna outside of their bedrooms. "Luna," she said suddenly.

"Hm?"

Hermione nibbled on her lower lip and hugged the quirky blonde before pulling back. "By design or just because of the situation, I was with Harry last night and we had a chance to .. er ... _bond_," she said with a massive blush, causing Luna to smirk knowingly. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I'm going to sleep in my own bed tonight so you can spend time with him."

Luna blinked slowly at the bushy-haired brunette. "Alone?" She asked simply.

"Yes. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No. I just didn't expect that, is all." Luna had been latched to her mother's side all of the previous night and that whole day. The initial elation she had felt for having her mother once again still hadn't left her, and she had been wholly unable to think of much else for more than a few moments at a time. And she now realized that she hadn't really taken the time out to really thank Harry aside from a quick 'thanks' that morning.

Luna leaned forward and kissed Hermione on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered before going into her room to leave a blushing Hermione in the hall for the few seconds it took her to come out of her shock and chuckle while going to take a long bath.

xXxXxXx

Harry climbed out of his bath, thankful to have finally found his way back to his room. He had every intention of requesting Dobby make him a map in the next few days and hope the remaining Marauders could enchant it like the Hogwarts one. Maybe give one to everybody in the house. Being lost for two hours within your own home was just sad and wrong.

He changed into his boxers and sleeping shorts and stepped into his bedroom to find Luna laying atop his bed and playing with a glass ball that glowed with a pale blue light he had found in a room that he thought he kept visiting and pilfered that to see if the following rooms were missing it. They were, meaning he went in circles. The girl was dressed in a simple bathrobe and chose to set the ball down as he entered.

"Er, Luna? What are you doing?" Harry asked.

"Hermione said that because she had you alone last night, that I should have you alone tonight. We are hoping to keep everything as balanced between us as possible so that neither of us gain an unfair lead on the other in hopes of making this relationship work out," she responded, slipping under the covers.

"O-oh," Harry stuttered as her robe opened enough in the front as she bent down to show she wore nothing underneath. His adolescent body screamed at how this night was turning similar to the one before it. However, he didn't want to risk thinking this was more than an attempt to share the night together, so he simply climbed into the bed and dimmed the window to ensure the sunlight from what was still the middle of the day outside of the bubble didn't wake them up early.

Once Harry was in bed, Luna turned to him and rested her weight on one arm. "Harry, I know I said it this morning and was in too much shock last night, but thank you for bringing back my mum,' she said, beginning to tear up and leaned down to kiss him gently on the mouth.

After she pulled away, Harry used his thumb to wipe away the tears from her cheeks. "It's okay, Luna. I didn't actually mean to bring anyone back. It was all an accident. And I'm glad I could do it."

"It's more than that, Harry," Luna plead. "Last year, you were the only one who was nice to me without reservation. You gave me a friend when no one else could stand to be around me. Even Neville didn't want to be around me and he wanted a friend just as badly as I did. And then you introduced me to Hermione and, even though we had our differences and were oftentimes at odds on facts, she was always kind to me as well. You've given me a life to live in."

Harry sat up in the bed and leaned against the headboard and pulled the silently crying girl into his arms as she had done for him over the first week at her house and during the majority of the school year during some of their more emotional conversations in the Room of Requirement. "I'm proud to be your friend, Luna, and your _boy_friend. Even though I don't know how I did it at the time and that it was an accident, I'd have been willing to try for you regardless. And I will always be your friend. You don't ever have to doubt that."

Luna sat curled into his side and looked up to him and saw the same sincerity he always spoke with. She couldn't help but be thankful he was a part of her life, as a friend or more, it didn't matter. "When my mother died, it was because I released accidental magic that caused an explosion in our oven," she began to explain, glad he was listening and not talking. She had never been able to talk about this before and only with her mother back was she now capable of doing so. "The door of the oven flew off its hinges and hit her, knocking her out. Then the fire spread and the house came down on top of her and I could still hear her screams for a long time ... until they stopped." Luna shivered in his arms.

"Since that day, I've refused to get angry at anyone, no matter what happened. I got angry because she wanted me to do my studies," she laughed sardonically and shook her head, "and I'm a Ravenclaw. But, each and every day since then, I've begged and pleaded with the Goddess to give me my mother back. I swore I would do anything she asked of me if it meant righting my wrong."

"Luna-" Harry began, but was shushed by a dainty finger.

"Let me finish," she asked before taking a steadying breath. "For five years, I lived mostly alone. Daddy was away on a hunt or writing for the paper when not at home, and when he _was_ home, he grew progressively worse to the point where people didn't consider him quite sane any longer. When something came up that he was unsure of how to explain, like love, confusion, pain and misery and the like, he would say some creature caused it."

"Then in school, I was ignored by everyone who wasn't bullying me and no one stepped up to help, even when they knew what was happening." She looked at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "For four years, the only people who noticed me wanted to hurt me. And then you came into my life and actually spoke with me, talked and listened and confided with me. I was terrified at first, trying to figure out what you were planning to do to me. The nicer a person was, the worse they hurt me and you were being a true friend. I was sure that whatever was going to happen, I wasn't likely to recover from it."

Harry opened his mouth to deny ever planning anything of the sort, but she continued on, heedless of his intentions. "But you didn't do anything like that, and I came to depend on you. Our talks after you started the DA had become something to look forward to. I had been thinking that if ever the Goddess chose to grant me my mother back, then I had to take and accept whatever punishments she delivered to me through my peers at Hogwarts. And with my oath to my mother to never again get angry, I accepted them all without retaliation."

Luna looked into Harry's eyes and he found himself unable to look away. For the first time since he had ever met the girl, her silvery blue-gray eyes were rock steady and the spark of magic within her did its best to shine through. "I swore to the Goddess to do anything and everything to get my mother back. And you've given her to me. Whether it was by some grand design or sheer happenstance, I now have my mother back. And I'm here tonight as much out of my desire to be with you as it is my oath I promised to the Goddess."

Luna laid back and opened her robe, showing her naked glory to Harry whose mouth had suddenly turned dry. "Harry, for whatever reason, you were the one to give me my grandest wish and desire. And I'm offering myself for whatever payment you would have of me."

Harry choked back a cough in the back of his throat as his blonde girlfriend just offered him quite literally anything his mind could consider. And he knew immediately what he wanted.

He leaned forward, stroking the side of Luna's face with featherlight touches of his fingers, causing her to sigh and close her eyes before he leaned down and kissed her gently for a brief moment before raising back up. "Any debts you feel you owe me, Luna, are now paid in full."

Luna's eyes shot open. "What?"

Harry smirked. "Luna, there are two things you should understand. First, your kisses are worth braving any odds and any sum of gold," he said, partly because he felt kissing was a very enjoyable pastime and partly to watch the beautiful blush that erupted on her face. "Second, you are more to me than a beautiful body. Even if I somehow brought you mother back, any debts from your oath would belong to the Goddess, not me. I didn't, and even according to the rules I got, _couldn't_ have brought her back on my own. So anything you felt you owed me is paid."

Luna swallowed and another tear trickled down her cheek. She had been slightly disappointed that he was taking her offer and was going to take whatever payment he felt he deserved, but only because she had literally offered him _anything_ he wanted! _Any_ boy she knew, except apparently Harry, would have leapt at that chance. But she was so fixated on the oath she had sworn to the Goddess that she hadn't really thought through who really held that debt.

She was also disappointed because it didn't happen.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have suggested that. I just thought ... well, with what you and Hermione did last night, that you would want ... I don't know ... I wasn't really thinking, I suppose," she said, watching Harry blush. "I just knew you were responsible, no matter how much so, and wanted to thank you."

"Sh-she told you?" He stuttered out.

"Of course," Luna sounded truly confused. "We don't want to go too much further than the other and want to be as open about everything as we can so there are no secrets that could cause us trouble and make this not work."

"Oh, that makes sense," he considered.

[Lemon Start]

"Would," Luna hesitated a moment before grabbing Harry's hand an placing it over her heart. "Would you like to explore each other? Get to know the differences in our bodies? We didn't really have much time in the shower and Hermione said you didn't do much of this last night."

Harry swallowed thickly and nodded, causing Luna to smile serenely. "What, er, do I do?"

Luna pondered on that for a moment before shrugging. "Let's say that you can touch anywhere and learn what my different bits are and how they feel. Just don't stick anything into anywhere without permission first."

"Of course not," Harry said immediately, not really feeling like she was accusing him, just stating a boundary. "But ... how do you want me to ...?"

Luna pulled Harry's hand up to her lips and kissed his knuckles before extending his fingers and tracing them down her neck slowly, leading to her breasts and sighing at the tingly sensation his touch left. "My breasts are a C-cup, in case you're curious," she said, watching his eyes follow his hand. "And most often, men will focus on our nipples, but it's really the underside that is where many should pay attention to. The nipples feel wonderful, and we enjoy them being played with, but focusing only on them leaves the rest feeling left out. Touch them. Feel them. Taste them, if you would like. Describe it to me," she demanded softly, taking Hermione's not-so-subtle advice that, while his ministrations were pleasant the night before, he was a standard clueless male who needed to learn about foreplay.

Harry blushed, but nodded, taking control to gently cup his hand around the soft, fleshy orb and squeeze and caress it, gently rolling a nipple through his thumb and forefinger. "They're very soft and incredibly smooth, kind of like silk," began to tell her, getting lost in her body as it writhed beneath him. "They're actually kind of firm though, like there's something inside that keeps them round and in the air."

"And my nipples?" She asked, finding herself enjoying this very much.

"Are bright pink," he said as he traced his fingertip around the puckered nubs on both breasts. "The nipple is big and round, but the area around it that is the same color is only a little bigger, maybe an inch."

"That's very good, Harry. Now taste them," she demanded, watching him with darkened eyes as he blushed, but leaned down to do as he was told.

Harry immediately sucked on the little pink nub and flicked it with his tongue, causing the blonde to squirm pleasantly underneath him and mewl happily in response. He took her earlier advice and gently rubbed the underside of her breast before switching to the other nipple while his hand pinched and rolled the first. "A little like soap," he said with a smirk, "but definitely something that can be addicting." Almost as if to prove his point, he leaned down for another war between them and his tongue.

"I took a bath to be clean before coming here," she said distractedly. "Now continue and describe what you see."

In mild disappointment, Harry left his new toys and kissed his way down her stomach before stopping at her bellybutton to rub it with his hand. "Your tummy is smooth and just as soft. How do you do that?" He asked in sudden awe.

"Do what?" Luna asked, holding her hand over top of his and following the patterns he traced around her bellybutton while holding back a giggle. It tickled wonderfully.

"How do girls feel so different than boys?"

"We're known as the fairer sex for a reason, Harry," she said.

Harry smiled in agreement before running his fingers further down. "This is where we are most different," he said, very lightly running his fingers along the outside edge of Luna's swollen and slick folds, proof positive that she was enjoying this as much as he was. Not to mention a wonderful squeak once his hand made contact.

"The 'vagina', yes," Luna breathed out. "But I think for our bedtime fun, we should call it a 'pussy'. Less clinical and I enjoy dirty talk."

Harry choked in the back of his throat and his hand accidentally twitched, pressing into her hard and making her moan. "A-alright."

Luna let out a long, shuttering breath and then looked at him. "My turn. I'd like to explore you."

Harry nodded and pulled his shorts and boxers off of himself in one movement before laying on his back while Luna straddled one leg and cocked her head to the side as she trailed her fingers along his chest.

"Your pectorals are quite firm," she mused. "From riding a broom so much, no doubt. While it does nothing for stamina, it seems to have given you strong hands and abdominals." She ran her fingernails over his stomach to watch the white trails fade slowly. "A bit hairier than a woman, as well, but thankfully very little."

She slid herself down his leg, purposefully running her wet lips over his leg for both friction and to tease him as she scratched lightly down to his pelvis. "Thick and curly pubic hair surrounding what, according to _Teen Witch Weekly_ is an above-average penis."

"I n-noticed you shaved since the shower," Harry said, feeling a small bit of pride at the fact that he was bigger than average. He was also quite happy she didn't say it was first hand experience that she knew that.

"Hermione said it made your nose tickle," she said, examining his phallus. "Now be a good boy. I want to examine." She firmly wrapped her hand around his shaft, marveling at how hot it was. It was like a rod of iron wrapped in velvet and she could almost swear she felt it pulsing. "Hermione was right. It does get hot. I just thought it was because the water was cooler in the shower." She gave him a few soft strokes and watched his face as closed his eyes and let out a breathy sigh.

Harry couldn't help it. This was more than he could safely take so quickly and with what he would later learn to be called foreplay having been going on for several minutes now, he was almost at his limit just on pure excitement and knew he was almost done. He didn't want that yet, so he raised his leg that Luna was sitting on, getting a surprised squawk as Luna fell on top of him where he crushed his lips to her own and firmly grabbed one of her arse cheeks in each hand and squeezed, getting a delighted moan from his blonde girlfriend.

Luna had been enjoying giving Harry orders, but having him take such sudden charge and with such ferocity sent a thrill down her spine that ended with his strong hands kneading her arse. And the best part was the feeling of that rock hard shaft rubbing against her clit with every move she made. "What – pant – brought that on?" She asked once his lips chose to attack her collarbone. _'Oh sweet Goddess! Thank you! Thank you!'_

"If you kept up on that, I would have erupted all over you," he panted, holding her tightly to him and loving the feel of her soft, heated skin on his own. He had had some of that with Hermione the night before, but not like this. This was full body contact with her weight over him and he realized he absolutely loved it.

"But, I still want to thank you for my mum," Luna said with a frown before her eyes alighted and she pulled back to look at him with a mischievous twinkle. "Would you like a repeat performance of our shower together?" She asked, causing him to blush fiercely. She was quite ... _blunt_ in her query.

"Actually, I was, er, hoping to see if you would like what I learned with Hermione and 'return the favor' from that day," he admitted sheepishly. "I didn't expect to do it this soon, but ...," he shrugged, the end obvious.

"But I'd like to thank you and I rather enjoyed that," she pondered, looking away from him and settling into thinking mode. It was made a little difficult with him already naked underneath of her.

Harry, however, considered the problem in a different way. "Why not both?" He suggested. "You can lay on top of me like this, but turned about, and we can try it at the same time."

"Sounds kinky," she responded happily while getting onto her knees and throwing one leg over him to give him a bird's eye view of her round bottom and completely shaved, glistening pussy, making Harry's eyes bulge. It was always the quiet ones!

"Er ... are you sure you're okay with me doing this?" Harry asked, feeling less sure of himself after actually making the suggestion.

"Weren't you the one to offer it?" Luna asked while looking over her shoulder before shaking her head. "No matter, no matter. Hermione said this was rather enjoyable and I'd like to see what her expression meant." Granted, that expression had been shuddering and squeezing her thighs together, but that spoke volumes to a hormonal teenager.

"I just wanted to be sure you were okay with this and actually wanted to do it," he said, remembering her earlier statements.

As if to answer for him, she simply leaned forward and took him as fully into her mouth as she could, only getting about half of it before he hit the back of her throat, and then began to bob forward and back. She had truly enjoyed doing this for him. It made her incredibly happy to know that she could cause him so much pleasure.

Harry moaned out loud and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he experienced this for the first time while not standing up and the change was _vastly_ different! Not only did he get to use more of his focus on what he was feeling and not on remaining standing, but he could feel her breasts sliding over his skin and felt the heat of her body over his and could smell a wonderful musky aroma from her and decided she had the right of it earlier.

He grasped her firmly by her round bottom and pulled her into his face, attacking her fiercely with his tongue, tasting her and made Luna squeal in delight onto his cock. Once Harry had assaulted her clit as Hermione had explained to him the night before, he spent some time memorizing the feel of her folds around his tongue and exploring the little nooks and crannies he could find, all the while memorizing what Luna's reactions were.

He also pondered on her taste. Hermione had been somewhat sweet and a taste unique to the whole experience that decided was more because it was sex, in a fashion. Luna, however, while having that same unique taste he could recognize from the night before, wasn't so much sweet as she was ... he didn't know how to explain it. He would say 'sweet', but it wasn't like honey, as Hermione had been, but more like the sweet from fruit. It was there, but was a taste unique to the fruit.

Somehow, that made sense to Harry. If fruits were unique, why not girls?

Harry then decided to try something he hadn't with Hermione, who had been his coach in the previous night's explorations. He dropped his tongue lower on her body and began to snake his way in and out of the deepest parts of her he could find and failed to repress a groan of pleasure as Luna moaned into him again as she felt the slight sensation of his tongue emulating what it would feel like when she had all of him within her.

Suddenly, it was too much and he pulled back just long enough to warn Luna. "Luna! I'm about to cum!" He went back to work as she lowered her hips into his face and began to bob her head faster, using her hands to pump his shaft as quickly as she dared.

And then she just suddenly stopped and rolled off of him to lay down beside him on her back. "Straddle my chest, Harry. I want you to titty-fuck me," she said quickly, breathing heavily and using the wand that was barely within reach to cast a charm over her breasts that covered them in a slick fluid.

Harry was too far gone and knew precisely what she meant, so he did as he was told. He put a leg over her and positioned his erection between her breasts and allowed her a moment to squash them together before he began to thrust his hips forward and he discovered a new form of happiness. Luna's mouth had been hot, wet and wonderful. Her breasts, however, were warm, soft and practically heaven as Luna opened her mouth and began to suck on the head of his cock each time he shoved himself between her wonderful, fleshy globes.

Having Harry lick her pussy had been as maddening as it was incredible for Luna, but she had been sincere when she said she would do anything earlier. While Harry had claimed his reward with a kiss, she decided she would still thank him by giving him a new experience. One in which she had dreamt about quite often, in fact, and was hoping to try anyway. Her breasts were more sensitive than normal and she actually spent almost equal amounts of time playing with them as she did diddling herself. For her, it simply worked.

And when Harry had said he was about to cum, she had been right there on the edge with him. She had never before been in such a situation as any of the lusty moments as she had the last week. While it was just an enjoyable blowjob in the shower a week ago, and then various forms of touching when they woke up in a pile, she had been anticipating going further almost every minute of every day.

"Ng! Luna!" Harry begged, almost finished.

The past few nights had her dreaming of Harry encased in her titties and that fantasy for her was now coming to fruition.

"LUNA!" Harry erupted over Luna's face as he thrust himself forward one last time after Luna grabbed his arse and held him in place to suck him dry of his cum even as an orgasm raced throughout her own body. While nowhere near as powerful as what she would have received under the direct assault of Harry's tongue, she had wanted him to cum tonight for bringing back her mother. And performing this act had seen to that, while seeing to a fantasy she had held as well.

Harry, however, was not quite as pleased. He wasn't aware Luna came, so he immediately knelt between her legs once again as she lay panting on her back after her most recent orgasm and then began to pick up where he left off, much to Luna's wide-eyed shock as she arched her pussy into his face.

"Harry! What-"

"I'm returning the favor," Harry said quickly before putting her legs over his shoulders and holding her in place over his mouth and working as fast as he could just above that little nub Hermione had said was so key.

"Harry!" Luna shrieked, torn between loving the building second orgasm and hating it for being so sensitive. "I- I- I-" She began to be unable to even say that single word as Harry's strokes began to get harder and longer, forcing her entire body to rock back and forth. He had begun to attack her clit directly and stroked the spot just above it with his finger, taking her once again over the edge.

"AHHHH!"

She clamped her legs to the side of his head so hard that he could barely hear her scream, but he refused to stop licking as he watched her throw her head back and abuse her own nipples painfully in the throws of her orgasm.

To Harry, seeing her like that, with her face, neck and chest covered in his cum, it showed promise that he could make his girls happy and that he wouldn't fail at this. He had succeeded in 'returning the favor' appropriately.

[Lemon End]

xXxXxXx

Three days later found Harry, Hermione and Luna meeting up with the goblin duo once more to find out how the next three months in Bubble-Time were going to play out. Aureus was quite chipper, but Shadow Walker was a little more grumpy than usual since he wasn't quite fully awake and rested, but he wouldn't be using much energy in supervising Harry's initial workouts.

"Girls," Aureus said as she gave Hermione and Luna large belt buckles like her own. They were large, flat discs of metal made from platinum about as wide as their fists with an interesting spiral design. "Within these buckles are razor wire which will become a hidden weapon for you and will be utilized thusly."

She took several steps away from the others where numerous wooden posts were stuck into the ground and the spool came undone in a strangely complex pattern before lashing out like a large number of tendrils of black string, cutting the wooden posts to nothing but mulch within two seconds, much to everyone's shock.

"This wire is controlled by channeling your magic into it and then controlling it like a puppeteer controls a marionette. Good if you are caught by an opponent and need to dispatch them. It can take out the people around you if you are surrounded as well or even block physical-impact spells like bludgeoners and cutting spells. Even the killing curse if you can move the wire fast enough, which you will be able to do."

"The downside, however, is that it is very messy," Aureus continued. "This was wood and look at my clothing." Each did so and only now noticed that she was covered in a very thin coat of sawdust. "Were they human or animal, I would be drenched in blood right now."

Aureus willed her wire back into her belt buckle and folded her hands behind her back. "I will also begin teaching all of you the mental arts from dinner to two hours afterwards each night, no exceptions. The girls will get medical training each weekend that Mister Potter is allowed to attend if he is able, but that and mental arts will be all we do on the weekends."

"I will also be teaching you to use daggers and throwing weapons along with current wizard etiquette and wandless magic." Finished, she looked to Shadow Walker who sneered. It was too damned early for this shit!

"We will all be doing physical training in the mornings from five to seven when you will then eat breakfast. However, Mister Potter is my sole responsibility." He looked to Harry. "Your mates will work under Aureus. She specializes in speed, flexibility and finesse where I will teach you speed and stealth so your enemies won't even know they have died. I will also make you gain enough muscle to make you a respectable warrior."

Grunting, Shadow Walker continued while ignoring both girls' thoughts on Harry bulking up. That wasn't the case, as he was just going to make the puny human stronger, but he didn't care about correcting them right now. "After breakfast, we will work on your weapons and magical casting until lunch. After lunch, we will work on your course-like studies: arithmancy, Runes, warding, ward breaking and the like until one hour before your dinner where you will then be forced to duel until the hour is up. You will have the weekends free save for what Aureus would have you do or your human minders."

"You will either succeed in our goals for you," Aureus began, hoping to explain how serious this was going to be before Shadow Walker finished for her, tired of talking.

"Or you will break. We will find our jobs done with whatever happens first," he said, making the three humans gulp.

"Now, let's do some running."

xXxXxXx

[Author's Note] – The training was explained because there shall be a time-skip in the next chapter.

**I appreciate** those of you who are making me defend points in my story. As an example, "Nosferatum" asked me how they would not run out of air if nothing could bypass the time bubble (spells, rain, air, etc.) I will explain that in this chapter for the sake of clearing up all remaining loose ends. Some will be reiterated that I've already said, but because it's being explained to different people (and because I'm now going to explain the air situation and let the readers know how I'm handling certain things.) Please give me a LITTLE leeway, however, regarding some of this. While some things may not seem viable in our universe or with our own physics, anything that needs a little boost or just simply defies everything we know, assume it was the physics run with magic, not our own concepts of space, time and reality.

Again, I don't mind criticism, but try to give me a way to respond, otherwise, I have to pad my word count to tell you to be patient and see how things get resolved. Three years is a lot of time for things to go smoothly, after all. Something needs to be done to make it more interesting to the readers and to allow the characters opportunities to grow and develop.


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